Perception
by WickedAngel23
Summary: ON HIATUS. When Bella finds her life written in a book, she's terrified of reading more when the events start to occur hours after she reads them. Especially when her life is placed in the hands of a fictional vampire who may or may not be the villain of the story.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do, however, own the plot of this fanfiction.**

* * *

**PROLOGUE  
_Beta'd by Fragile Human_****  
**

* * *

Edith Keller could feel irritation seeping into her usually calm voice as she tried to explain to her boss why she, once again, had failed to uncover a story worthy of the company's time. It wasn't _her_ fault that the books that fell into her lap were riddled with clichéd plots and absurd characters.

She promised, against her will, that she would find something special in her office within the next week and with a heavy heart, she returned to the tiny cubicle at the back of _Keller & Shaw's Publishing House_. She flipped through the stacks of manuscripts for more than four hours, trawling through the worst works of fiction, until she noticed a thin, neat folder on the edge of her desk. She lifted it curiously, scanning the few details that the author of the manuscript had left. She meant to give it passing glance but as soon as she read past the first sentence, she found herself unable to put it down.

What Edith Keller failed to realize in that moment was that she literally held the future in her hands.

**Fatal Addiction: A Prelude  
**_a Memory  
by_**  
Alice C. Brandon**

_Volterra, 1301 B.C._

There was only one mortal daring enough to stride into the playground of powerful vampires, unarmed and cheerful. He walked with an arrogant gait, ignoring the subtle hisses of suspicion that followed him from the shadows of hidden alcoves and doorways.

Guided by the faint moonlight, Quil found his way to the center of the city, his stride never faltering as the whispers became louder, outrage rippling like water throughout the population of faces gathered.

He stopped in front of a tall, hooded figure, his lips pursed. Silently, the shadows seemed to converge around him, shifting into a perfect circle around himself and the hooded figure. In the moonlight, the shadows became people, with faces that looked as though they had been carved from stone with elegant grace and beauty.

"Lucius," Quil greeted the hooded figure.

Pale, chalky hands lifted to remove the hood and Quil found himself face to face with the most beautiful man that he had ever seen. His face was beyond the call of beauty — terrifyingly alien with eyes like a cat, luminescent yellow, and lips that appeared almost white. When his mouth stretched into a feline grin, blunt fangs glinted in the light, protruding from his upper gums.

"Witch," he spat in reply.

Quil did not flinch at the insult. His mouth tilted in an amused smile as he stepped back into the center of the circle. When he closed his eyes, the air seemed to tingle with barely contained energy, unlike anything that the figures gathered in the circle had ever felt. There was no denying the strength of the magic that seemed to crackle, illuminating Quil's russet skin and weaving around him like a blanket of light. "Indeed," Quil smiled. He opened his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Lucius hissed.

"We have a problem," Quil admitted. "The magic of my tribe, the Quileutes, has begun to manifest in our young too early. The proximity of members of your coven is causing an acceleration of our gifts."

A few hisses sounded in the otherwise silent night, but Lucius did not seem perturbed.

"And?" he pressed.

"It is the reason _why_ that concerns us. Our magic was not affected by _your_ kind until these members of your coven began to feed on _humans_."

At this, Lucius's angelic face seemed contorted into an ugly, twisted expression of anger, his rage burning in his yellow eyes. "LIES!"

His fury seemed to burn into the others gathered around him and his words were echoed a thousand times. Quil's magic began to react, thrumming with an intensity that he was barely in control of.

"I speak the truth!" Quil insisted. "I have brought you your traitor, bound in magical chains."

He snapped his fingers and three figures emerged from the path that Quil had taken into the city. The person in the center was hanging limply between the other two, his pale skin almost glowing in comparison with the bare-chested, tanned men holding him up.

"Demetri?!" Shock rippled through the gathered circle as everyone turned to peer at the prisoner as he was dragged forward, barely conscious. Another figure slipped down the path behind them, her dark, black hair streaming behind her like a shadow. It was her magic that kept Demetri captive, wrapping around him like steel claws that bound his mind as well as his body.

"What is this?!" Lucius demanded.

It was then that Demetri moved, lifting his head toward his master. The frightened silence that descended chilled Quil to the bone. Every face remained riveted on Demetri, shocked to the core as glowing, crimson eyes stared unflinchingly at Lucius.

"What have you _done_?" Lucius whispered painfully.

Demetri snarled, his expression almost animalistic. "You are no better than a mortal, Lucius," he hissed. "You live as one. You _die_ as one. Do you not remember how we were _made_? How our ancestors gave us life?!"

"STEFAN AND VLADIMIR ARE DEAD!" Lucius screamed.

Demetri laughed cruelly. "Because of _you_. Because of your stupid infatuation with _mortals_!"

"I did _not_ kill our forefathers," Lucius hissed.

"But you seduced them onto your side," Demetri retorted. "Centuries ago, they drank the blood of mortals, shared their memories, their lusts, and they were _strong_. Because of you, they wasted away, Lucius." Demetri spat on the ground, at Lucius's feet. "They became weak, like you."

"And that's what you wish, is it?" Quil interrupted, staring calmly at Demetri. "To be immortal?"

Demetri's cold, gleaming eyes flickered over Quil's face appraisingly. "I wish to embrace who I am. Who we were created to be."

"I SHOULD KILL YOU!" Lucius exclaimed. "BLASPHEMY!"

"It is not." The girl of the Quileutes spoke for the first time. She stepped forward, stumbling on coltish legs. She was barely older than sixteen, yet the magic that crackled around her was violently strong. "Demetri is right, in kind. In the beginning, vampires _did_ feed on the blood of mortals."

"And?" Lucius demanded. "We have righted that wrong!"

"Actually," Quil interrupted smoothly. "Animal blood is making you sick. It's why you have been robbed of your immortality. Unfortunately, Demetri already carries the disease and no amount of human blood is going to reverse the process. If anything, he has made himself sicker."

For a moment, Lucius's eyes reflected cruel amusement at his servant's predicament, before he suppressed the emotion and his face became impassive. "We are not sick."

"We are," Demetri spat. "Thanks to _you_."

"I have the magic required for him to be cured," the girl spoke, glancing at Quil nervously. "But it is not without its drawbacks."

"We would also require a binding promise to keep the peace. You have heard the stories before, Lucius, have you not? How Quileutes are the guardians of mortals and vampires alike?" Quil said.

"What do you mean?" Lucius asked.

"I mean… we have no right to wipeout the vampire race — for without you, _we_ would not exist — but our duty is to protect mortals and protect vampires. Therefore, we wish to form a council in the interest of keeping the peace between the Volturi and Demetri's kind."

"There are _more_ of you?" Lucius spat at Demetri.

Demetri smirked at him. "A whole coven."

"Demetri is their leader," Quil explained. "Their Prince."

"We do not require your permission," the girl spoke. "But it would be easier for all of us if you co-operated, Lucius."

"Absolutely not!"

But Lucius was alone in his statement. The circle began to whisper amongst themselves, dividing in half as those who wished to follow Demetri began to slip in his direction.

It was Lucius's wife, Selena, who decided for the Volturi. Without addressing her husband, she took Quil's hand and led him into the dark, candlelit castle. She brought Quil and the other Quileutes to a large, cold chamber that looked as though it had not been in use for quite awhile. It was empty, save for a few burning candles on the walls and a mound of straw on the ground.

The Quileute girl, Leah, immediately brought Demetri to the straw, forcing him down on his knees with violent magic. Other vampires trailed in after them, to watch as Leah performed her magic.

No one could be sure of the true extent of what she did to the Dark Prince, but the Prince himself. While she concentrated on purging his body of the disease, he could feel the power invading his veins as well as the drowsiness that overtook his body. For the first time in his cursed existence, Demetri felt the urge to sleep. And while he slept, he found that he could delve into the minds of those around him, invading their memories and thoughts with ease. When he woke, he noticed something different about the vampires gathered that wished to join his coven. Smoke, in various colors, seemed to extend from their bodies like limbs and as they swore their allegiance to him, the smoke began to change, to become blue-black like the smoke that extended from his own body.

He learned to taste emotions as well as blood and he learned to channel the nourishment that he gleaned from this food into those who possessed smoky auras like himself.

When the process was complete, Demetri found that he could walk as a mortal, but he could also slip into a body much smaller than his own — that of a bat.

It was that night that the Shadow Vampires were born — a race of beautiful, dangerous creatures even stronger than the mortal-drinking vampires that had existed before them.

Later that night, the Quileutes weaved more magic, creating the first ever Vampire Council of Quileute magic. It was their job to create rules that helped keep the peace between the Volturi and these new Shadow Vampires.

They created The Accords, a binding magical contract that could not be broken by any but the Quileutes, stating that both races of vampires must co-exist without interference from either side.

The Accords remained strong for 3308 years.

* * *

**Alice.  
**

_3 months prior to Edith's discovery of the manuscript_

I flexed my fingers nervously around the pen. My eyes flickered around the room, wondering if anyone was watching me. I could _make_ them, of course. My fingers shook and the pen fell from my hand, making me jump when it hit the table. Nobody looked. Nobody cared.

I hadn't written anything in four months, since they'd brought me to the Institute. I was too afraid to print anything on paper, ever since the incident last January.

I'd been living a relatively normal life then. When my family had moved to Forks, I had anticipated a quiet, uneventful year. I hadn't really liked the dreary town and I was excited about escaping the following year to college. But the night I ventured down to La Push, everything changed.

I carefully picked up the pen, sighing. The Quileute legends were supposed to be just that — _legends_. I met Jacob Black at a bonfire party one night in La Push and, fascinated, I'd fallen head over heels in love with him. But because of _me_, because of his desire to have me _know_ him, he showed me his true self.

The image of the terrifyingly beautiful, russet wolf was burned into my mind.

That night, I had gone home and written about him. I had always wanted to be a writer, but writing about Jacob was a compulsion. I wanted to know more about him, I wanted to know _everything._

But Jacob had broken one of the most sacred rules of the Quileute tribe.

When Billy Black found my diary, he was appalled at what his son had done and he sought help from the Tribe Elders. He had never trusted me, had thought that I was another prying journalist snooping around for details with my notepad.

What happened that night landed me in the Institution — I had voluntarily hidden myself away from society, from other people, because I was terrified that I would hurt them with the things that I wrote.

They cursed me.

In my dreams, I saw a future that could be, a future that I could compel into being with a pen. Every morning, I woke with a fierce compulsion to write what I dreamed, willing the dream into being.

But it wasn't just the dreams.

Experimentally, I scrawled a sentence across the white paper.

_A man in white hospital scrubs strode through the door of the Institute common room._

I dropped the pen, my eyes trained on the door. Four seconds later, a man in white hospital scrubs strode through the door of the Institute common room. He hesitated then, glancing around in confusion as though he wasn't quite sure what he was doing there, before disappearing back through the door.

The power terrified me, but the compulsion was growing stronger every night.

I dreamed the same dream over and over, and now it was almost impossible to resist gripping the pen in my hands and writing the story in my head.

I didn't know the people in my dream. I didn't even know if they existed.

All I knew was that I held their future in my hands and the compulsion was too hard to ignore.

With a shuddering breath, I pressed the pen to the paper and I began to write.


	2. Bitten

**A/N:  
_Thank you so much for reviewing (again :D) The following four chapters haven't changed dramatically. If you're a new reader, please review! Also, the "Engagement Ball" is now NOT an engagement ball. It's JUST a normal ball, k?? _**

**_Love you Fragile Human, you're awesome :D_**

**~*~Bella~*~**

"What do you think?" Rosalie eyed herself critically in the mirror, her blonde brow arched quizzically. She was wearing a beautiful red gown that accentuated her narrow waist and enviable curves, like it was made for her – they always were.

"It's fabulous!" Lauren trilled, her voice echoing in the small dressing room. Rosalie ignored her assessment, her wide, brown eyes focusing on me in the mirror.

"Bella?"

I sighed, trying to keep my resentment from showing. She had thought she was doing me a favour, inviting me out shopping with her and Lauren because Rosalie rarely saw more than she wanted to see. My older sister was beautiful and smart – and she'd been the apple of our parents' eye for as long as I could remember. I was the other girl, the sister who hovered in the background.

"It's beautiful, Rose," I said honestly. She smiled at me in the mirror and I immediately felt guilty for secretly hating her.

Lauren squealed, clapping her hands. "Are you going to buyt it?! It would be perfect for the ball that the Cullens are hosting on Saturday!"

"I know." Rosalie's smile widened. "And Edward will be there. I can't wait for you to meet him, Bella. I know you'll love him as much as I do."

Edward.

As a general rule, every boy Rosalie had ever met fell in love with her. So far, the mysterious Edward Cullen had been the only boy that Rosalie had ever returned an interest in – much to the pleasure of our parents. The Cullens were like royalty in their circle – Carlisle Cullen was a worldwide renowned surgeon while his beautiful wife, Esme, came from a family of old money – and the fact that Rosalie had managed to attract the attention of their son had only made her that much more perfect in our parents' eyes.

As much as Rosalie thought I'd love her new boyfriend, I was completely and utterly sure that I would not. Any of the men who ever took an interest in my twenty-year-old sister were spoiledt little rich kids with more money than brains and an ego to go with it. I had no reason to believe that Edward was any different.

I just nodded my head, smiling at my beautiful sister, and continued the charade that was my life. I hadn't even been invited to the ball – I was Rosalie's plus one. Renée had insisted I go to support my sister but once Rosalie arrived, I knew that I would end up lurking in the shadows while Rosalie thrived in the spotlight.

Again.

Even my gown was one of her old ones – Renée had had Rosalie's royal blue gown refitted to suit my body shape instead of bothering to find me something new because it wasn't _my_ job to stand out. I just had to look presentable enough to not embarrass my family.

"Shoes!" Lauren announced.

"Um..." I offered my sister an apologetic smile. "Do you mind if I leave? I'll meet up with you guys for lunch."

Rosalie frowned. "But Bella... I need you to help me choose –"

"Please," I insisted.

Rosalie stared at me for a few seconds, before reluctantly nodding her head.

I collected my jacket and hurried out of the dressing room before they could call me back. I escaped into the shopping mall, breathing a sigh of relief.

Without Rosalie around, I was far less recognizable. I wasn't stopped once on my way to the little bookstore, easily dodging reporters and devoted fans of Rosalie's as they waited for a glimpse of her. It was always the same, everywhere she went.

I walked into the store, inhaling the smell of books and incense. I ran my fingers reverently along a row of books as I walked toward the _new releases_ section. I usually looked in the Classics section first, but I had been waiting eagerly for Alice Brandon's first book. Little was known of her personal life, but I'd read a prelude to her book online and had decided then and there that she was my favorite author. I'd been ringing the store for the last month, trying to find out when the book was being put on shelves, and today was the day.

My eyes fell on the book almost immediately, my heart skipping a beat. The cover wasn't anything overly ornate or elaborate — it was just a white rose with a trickle of fresh, crimson blood dripping from the petals. The title, _"Fatal Addiction" _was written across the top, above her name.

There was nothing particularly extraordinary about the book, yet my hands shook as I reached up to pluck it off the shelves. I flipped it in my hands, my eyes flickering over the plain text on the back cover. There was no summary, just a few praises.

I walked over to the counter, smiling at the woman behind the cash register. My body burned with excitement as I bought the book, my legs practically shaking as I made my way out of the shop, toward the café that I was supposed to meet Rosalie at for lunch. She hadn't arrived yet, nor did I expect her to arrive for another while. I ordered an iced tea and settled into a chair at the back of the café.

With one glance around the quiet room, I pulled the book out of the plain paper bag and flipped open the front cover.

**~*~*~**

**~*~ Demetri ~*~**

I heard his footsteps on the winding stairs as he made his way to the basement of _Trix_, the nightclub we had made our home. His heartbeat remained steady, a sign that the faint trepidation he'd once felt when walking into our lair had long since disappeared.

I slipped into my long, dark green robe, fastening it like a cloak around my body. Heidi watched me from the four-poster bed, her mahogany hair splayed out over my pillow.

"Are you so sure about him?" Heidi murmured, her brow creasing in a frown. I inclined my head, unused to having my decisions questioned — but it was Heidi. Heidi was as close to my equal as any other vampire had gotten. She understood my plans more than any other vampire we'd seduced into our way of life. We were nothing like those of the Volturi — they were not bound by a curse to live life as shadows of darkness. They _sparkled_ in the sun, untouched by it's brilliance, where we withered and burned.

"I am sure," I said. She smiled drowsily — it was another curse of my coven, to have to sleep. We did not sleep as much as mortals; four or five hours every few days was enough to suffice, but it was an inconvenience. As she smiled, black, intangible shadow-like tendrils swirled around her pale skin, a mark of her allegiance to my coven. I was known to the Volturi as the Dark Prince, a renegade of their path, the one made to walk in shadows. Those vampires I turned differed from the other vampires in that they each walked with their own dark aura, invisible to mortals, in the form of black-blue intangible tendrils of smoke or shadows.

I walked out of my bedroom, into the large living room that the basement steps had led my visitor into. The furniture was mismatched, old, and classical music filtered from the speakers placed advantageously around the walls.

My visitor stepped into the living room with a certain arrogance, like he believed he already belonged here. He was still mortal, but his ties to my coven were becoming more apparent every day — today there was a soft grey shadow that swirled around his body, the beginnings of his dark aura. I knew he would make an exceptionally beautiful vampire. His disheveled bronze hair was unusual, certainly not a natural color I'd ever seen on another mortal, and his dark green eyes had a persuasive, tantalizing glow to them that he would not lose with their color. He was tall, almost as tall as myself, though not nearly as imposing. He was only twenty-two — five years short of the year I had been forever frozen at, and he still maintained a slight build.

But it wasn't his appearance that I was interested in.

"Master." He bowed his bronze head in respect, not fear as many did.

"Edward." I stared at him, tilting my head. I remembered when he would flinch from my gaze as though it burned him, pure terror ripping through him. Now, he held my eyes with a cocky assurance I liked, respected. He would be a great vampire, even without his gift.

"I'm ready," he said, his voice deadly calm. Steady.

I did not doubt his words, he was more than ready. His aura had been growing stronger every day as his decision became more solid. I nodded, pursing my lips, as I accepted his statement. "You are lucky, Edward, to have had the choice. I'm glad you chose the right path." I suppressed a smirk — yes, he had chosen to be one of us, but I would have made him one of us whether he chose to or not. I could taste his emotions — they radiated from his aura — and I could sense the kind of power he would bring my coven. I would be more than foolish to let him slip by me.

"Though _forcing_ him would have been fun." Heidi walked into the living room, wearing one of my black shirts, her gleaming crimson eyes glittering with amusement. Edward's lips tilted into a half-smile as he raked his gaze over the tall, pale vampire. She was more beautiful than a lot of our kind, with dark, mahogany curls and a statuesque body. "Hey, Eddie."

Edward's smile faded, his aura darkening infinitesimally. "How many times, Heidi?"

"You can punish me later," Heidi crooned. "When you're strong enough." She blew him a flirtatious kiss as she sat down on the leather couch. She tugged me down beside her, the dark tendrils of her aura wrapping around my ankles and my wrists like ghost-claws and I did not resist her. She smiled softly, running her fingers absentmindedly through my hair as she watched Edward.

Heidi's closeness with me perturbed him. Although he did not fear me, Edward was uncomfortable with physical contact. I had assured him that it would come with time, like I had told him his fear would fade, but he had his doubts.

"Sit." I gestured toward the chair opposite Heidi and I. Edward obeyed, slouching in the sofa with ease. His arrogance amused Heidi, her emotions crept around me like the tendrils of her aura, and I felt her essence like I smelled perfume. Edward glanced around, his nose wrinkling a little as he took in his surroundings. My lips curved into a mocking smile. "Well, it's no palace…"

He shrugged. "It's fine."

I tilted my head, studying him as much as his aura. It wasn't a surprise that such an arrogant, cocky boy came from a rich background and had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth. I loathed his companions — the other spoiledt, rich brats he'd played with at Dartmouth — but it was the darkness, his seductive nature that I coveted for my coven.

I had guessed what his gift would be, even if he hadn't himself. All I had to do was look into his past, to visit the houses of his former lovers to confirm as much. Every single one of them was still in love with him, pining after him despite however long they'd had to adjust. It was nothing like how it would be when he was changed, but the fact that his gift had been awakened before his change was enough to prove how potent it would be when he became one of us in full.

"I hear you aren't extracting yourself from society," I said casually, my voice edged with slight disapproval. "Quite the opposite, in fact."

Heidi sighed, her cool, sweet breath caressing my face. "Rosalie may be beautiful for a mortal, but she would not be capable of surviving as one of us." She slipped her hand under the collar of my cloak, over my dead heart as she spoke. "She's too fragile to be part of Demetri's coven."

Edward scowled, his face darker than many mortals ever managed. He had a menacing glow about him; the taste of it was delicious. "I have not… _befriended_ her… by choice. Unfortunately, my parents think that she would be a great… _match_."

He was choosing his words carefully, unaware that I was already informed of the details of his situation. Carlisle and Esme Cullen were planning an arranged marriage for their son, oblivious to the fact that he would soon be a member of the living dead.

"I will visit with her tonight," I said, flashing my teeth. Edward froze, his heart stuttering, but I just smirked at him, taunting him. There was nothing he could do to stop me if I chose to bring his toy here.

I glanced up seconds before the door to the feeding room opened and Tanya slipped through it, licking her lips absentmindedly. She saw me and bowed her head in respect. "My prince," she murmured. Her aura flared like a cloud of smoke around her, shrouding her legs in shadow as she stepped further into the room. Our auras were flimsy when we were hungry, the opposite when we had just fed.

"Mike has reached his quota for the week," she said, smiling softly at Edward as she slipped onto the sofa on my other side. She sighed, her dissatisfaction leaking from the tendrils that swirled around her. "It is so _tiring_ how they shriek and run. I need to drink more just to rid myself of the hunger pangs."

"Patience, my love," I said quietly, my eyes on Edward. Tanya did not understand my words, but she noticed my interest in Edward, her curiosity spiking. It was another twist to our curse — we were weak, just living off blood. We fed on _lust_. The others couldn't taste it — only _I_ had the ability to taste emotions — unless they had mouth-to-blood contact. Blood was like water in our diet, while lust was the nourishment that made us stronger. "Edward," I said finally, drawing the boy's attention. He watched me confidently, listening. "If we are to do this tonight, you will be thirsty. And the consequences…"

"I understand," he said immediately. "I will only be a half-blood until I make my first kill."

"As a half-blood, you will have more restraint than a newborn but it will still be difficult. If you choose to drink from a mortal, you must be willing to kill them. Otherwise…"

"I'll remain a half-blood if I don't," Edward finished. "I understand."

I inclined my head, rising to my feet. The others followed suit and I gestured for them to follow me into another room. It was a sparsely furnished room — I had been preparing it for Edward, for when he decided to go through with his transformation. Unlike a Volturi vampire, Edward would not be bitten and become a vampire after three days of agony. Edward was choosing to become a vampire of the shadows — a vampire who drank the blood of humans. The Volturi considered themselves vegetarians; they drank from the blood of animals so that they could live in the mortal world inconspicuously, without burning in the sun or having blood-red crimson irises. They chose to live among humans rather than live as immortals. Volturi vampires had the life span of about five centuries before the animal blood weakened them and they wasted away to nothing. My vampires — shadow vampires — were completely immortal. Our transformations were more subtle. Once we bit our victims, they began to change very slowly. Their speed, their hearing, their eyesight would improve gradually. They would begin to thirst for blood yet still have the ability to stave off their hunger with mortal food. But once they drank from a mortal, their fate as a shadow vampire became sealed. They would either die, weakening like a Volturi vampire without nourishment, or they would kill the first mortal they drank from and complete their transformation.

Edward sat down on the end of the four-poster bed, running his fingers carefully over the dark, red velvet bed-hangings.

"Heidi will do this," I instructed. "You are more comfortable with her."

Edward nodded, watching as Heidi slipped onto the bed beside him. She gently tilted his head away from her, her lips brushing against his neck.

"You smell good," she mused, smiling.

Edward rolled his eyes, but his cocky expression faded as Heidi flashed her pointed teeth and bit down on his neck. The euphoria emanating from his slowly darkening aura wrapped around me like a thick blanket. The endorphins in Heidi's venom relaxed his face and he moaned softly, lifting his hand to fist his fingers in Heidi's hair, holding her to his skin as she flooded his body with venom.

"It's dusk," Tanya murmured, glancing at me. I inclined my head, slipping from the room. I walked into my bedroom, pulling centuries old attire from my closet. I changed into black breeches, black boots and a black shirt, before walking back out into the living room to wait on the newest member of my coven.

Even in a different room, the euphoria of the vampire bite seeped into my aura, making me hungry. I fixed my collar impatiently, tamping down on my thirst easily. I would hunt while I was out tonight. I wouldn't visit one of our little feeders in the feeding room.

I'd need a lot more than just _blood_ if I was going to get through the next few weeks of Edward's training.

**~*~Edward~*~**

When Heidi finally pulled away, I swayed dizzily, grasping the bedpost as I stood. Her cold fingers wrapped around my wrist, feeling much like stone manacles.

I blinked, my vision blurring for a few seconds before it refocused, slightly sharper. It was like someone had cleaned my eyes; everything looked slightly clearer, cleaner.

When the dizziness passed, Heidi dropped my arm. I didn't feel too different, but that would change. I could be patient; I'd been anticipating my transformation for a long time now.

"Demetri is waiting," Tanya said, gesturing toward the door. I followed her out into the living room, my movements slightly more graceful than they'd been before. When I stepped into the room, Demetri was standing by the stairway, his arms folded over his broad, stone chest. Even in the semi-darkness, I still felt the same reverent awe as my eyes swept over his face. He was like an angel, his face more beautiful than any mortal's could ever be with his narrow, aquiline nose and strong jaw line. His dark hair was pure black, accentuating the paleness of his skin, and his eyes gleamed a rich, crimson color. Even as one of _them_, he stood out as beautiful.

"Come." Demetri beckoned me toward him and I obeyed, walking toward him with the new grace I had developed over the last two minutes. "Don't bite anything, not unless you're completely sure that you can kill it."

I nodded, resisting the urge to roll my eyes because I _knew_ this, but I understood that Demetri was just being thorough. I followed him upstairs to the club. Before he opened the door that would lead us out behind the bar, I could hear the softest hum, a trace of the music behind the door — something I wouldn't have been able to hear before Heidi had bitten me.

Experimentally, I lifted my hand to my neck, running my fingers over the two, tiny dents she'd made on my skin.

"They will fade," Demetri assured me with some amusement. His voice was low, persuasive but it became more musical, beautiful when he was amused. It was a dark kind of music — it made me wonder if it was how the devil would sound; seductive, melodic. "Heidi." He spoke her name as though she were standing in front of him, but she heard him, appearing beside me in less than two seconds. She moved so fast that my eyes had not followed the movement, but her sudden appearance did not scare me or make me flinch. I had become used to it over the weeks I'd spent here, with the coven.

"I'm curious…" he smiled, gesturing toward me. "Would you feel different if you were to kiss him?"

Heidi didn't question his veiled order. She tilted her head and I leaned down, pressing my warm lips against her cold ones. We had kissed before; Demetri's coven were rather open about that sort of thing — but she was more careful with me than she was with any of the others. As a mortal, I was fragile, easy to break.

Heidi moved away, her lips pursed. She sighed. "You were right," she said to Demetri. "It was powerful enough that I felt it — my mind was strong enough to block the pulse, but no mortal is going to be able to resist _that_."

"Resist what?" I asked, confused. I didn't like being discussed like I wasn't here.

Demetri smiled at me as if he knew what I was thinking. Or, at least, _feeling_. "You're going to be quite the incubus, aren't you?"

"Why?" I demanded, irritated.

Demetri shot me a dark look, but I was unfazed. If he couldn't deal with my attitude, he shouldn't have made me part of what he was.

"Your gift," Heidi explained. "Your touch, your kiss… it's addictive."

"It's also dangerous," Demetri interceded, shooting Heidi a warning look. "I've seen something like it before — you must be careful about who you choose to lie with. It would be possible for a mortal to stop themselves from wanting to kiss you, but if you slept with them..."

"You'd kill them," Heidi finished. "Unless you decided to stay with them."

I pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation. "Brilliant. No fucking sex for me, then."

"I wouldn't be overly concerned," Demetri said dryly. "There are plenty of females in my coven."

"When you're not so breakable, it'll be fun," Heidi said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. She slid her arm around my waist, her touch icy, but I was not bothered by the cold — at least, not as much as I would have been an hour ago.

"Go," Demetri said to Heidi. She inclined her head, brushing her hand over Demetri's as she passed, and he stared after her until she had disappeared into the living room. Though Demetri generally didn't favor anyone in his coven, I knew that Heidi had a lot of sway with him. When Demetri's gaze returned to me, he grinned wickedly. "Let's set you free, shall we?"

And with that, he opened the door to the club.

**~*~Bella~*~**

I finally stumbled through my bedroom door for the first time that night, exhausted from hearing about _Rosalie's_ day out at dinner. I had been aching to read more of my book all day, but I hadn't had a chance — Renée hated it when I read where people could see me, as if it was something to be ashamed of, and anytime she saw me reaching for the book, she had some errand for me to run.

I closed my bedroom door, sighing as I leaned back against it for a few seconds. I didn't want to hate my sister, but sometimes I wished that they'd stop staring at her and pay attention to me at least _once_.

When I'd hit puberty, I'd been given my own room with an en suite, a wardrobe of acceptable clothes, fancy furniture, and that was it. I was officially a woman, I had a woman's space, and what more did I need? Obviously not my parents' attention or affection.

I turned on the lamp next to my bed, lifting my t-shirt over my head. I heard something fluttering, like wings, and I froze, my t-shirt falling from my fingers. I shivered, glancing around my room. I had the strangest sensation that someone was _watching_ me.

Brushing it off, I unzipped my jeans and stepped out of them. Again, I felt the same unsettling feeling that I was being watched, and my heart fluttered unsteadily in my chest. I quickly threw on a long t-shirt that fell mid-thigh and walked over to the window, pushing the curtains back a little as I peered outside and opened the window.

There was nobody out on my balcony. The trees swayed in the gentle breeze, towering over the house, but there were no eyes peering at me from the darkness.

Sighing, I turned and climbed onto my bed, pulling the duvet over me as I grabbed _Fatal Addiction_ from my nightstand and flipped to the page I had bookmarked. The names sounded familiar — particularly Rosalie's — but it was a common enough name, and it was nice. The author obviously thought so.

_Edward stepped out into _Trix_, his ears suddenly thrumming with the pulse of music and the smell of alcohol and sweaty bodies. Demetri watched his face, his mouth tilting into a smirk._

"_Smell always develops the fastest," he explained, amused at Edward's disgusted expression. "You'll get used to it."_

_But Edward wasn't listening — his stomach had tightened suddenly as he was assailed with a gripping, ferocious hunger and the smell of blood — metallic and rich — pierced the air, wrapping him in a dizzying blanket of lust. He gripped his stomach, trying desperately to suppress the instinct to run into the club and massacre all of the unsuspecting mortals with his bare hands. He wasn't strong enough to do it by himself and hopefully by the time he _had_ developed that kind of strength, he'd have the self-control to avoid incidents like that._

_The hunger subsided as quickly as it had come but when he looked up, Demetri was nowhere to be seen._

_***_

_Demetri left Edward as soon as he had been sure that Edward could handle the bloodlust. He was stronger than he'd expected — Tanya had had to be restrained several times before she'd made the decision to kill a mortal. He felt an odd sense of pride and realized that he had come to think of Edward as something akin to a son — not just a member of his coven. _

_Demetri strode out into the dark street, quickly scanning the area to make sure that he was not being watched. As pPrince of the Sshadow vVampires, he had gained some convenient gifts that the others hadn't — one of those being a fast method of transportation. Demetri closed his eyes, his body seeming to vibrate before he vanished in a cloud of his aura, reappearing out of the smoke as a bat. He flapped his wings, finding himself airborne, as he took off in search of Edward's little toy._

_He had no intention of doing anything but watching her, despite what he'd implied with Edward. He wanted to see if Heidi's assessment of her had been correct — if she really _was_ too fragile to be a part of their coven. He had once thought Heidi was too delicate for their way of life, but she had developed an aura almost as fast as Edward had, giving in to her inner darkness, and into him. As a mortal, she had believed herself in love with him, but as a shadow vampire, she learned that over the centuries she remained immortal, love came to mean nothing. The bond you forged with your coven was strong and unbreakable but love had no place in the basement of _Trix_. It became an endless cycle of hunger and lust, and dependency on each other for survival._

_Demetri flew through the town, faster than any normal bat, to the address that Edward had given him weeks earlier. He had thought nothing of his protégé's dalliances before, only checking up on them briefly to confirm his beliefs about Edward's gift, but if Edward's parents were pushing him to marry the girl, the least Demetri could do was to help him honor the 'til death do us part' line, if he grew to like her in time. Rosalie was certainly pleasant to look at — she would be an even more beautiful vampire — but that would come to nothing if her aura failed. If she had no darkness, if she was too frail, she would die or become a Volturi vampire… one he didn't want to be responsible for._

_He landed on the first balcony, outside her window, his claws curling around the wrought iron railing. There was a gap in the curtains and he saw the room as it was with his enhanced sight. It was dark, unoccupied, but he was prepared to wait. He had until sunrise before he was forced to return to _Trix.

_His ears picked up on the sounds of someone walking in the hall outside the room — and then the door opened. His body stilled when he realized that it was not the blond mortal he had been expecting that stepped into the room. His keen eyes picked up on the frayed, silvery edges of an aura flickering around the girl that walked into the bedroom, and he watched her, utterly stunned. This mortal, whoever she was, had begun developing __heran own aura on her own. … sShadows seeped from her as though she was born to be one of them, her entire life molding her into the person she was to be when she was bitten. In all the five centuries that he had been a shadow vampire, Demetri had never once met a mortal who had developed their own aura. Edward's had been coaxed out by persuasive words, _his_ darkness beginning with his dreams. Dream-walking was another gift that he'd picked up as a prince, and he'd used it to seduce Edward over to the dark side._

_But this girl… Demetri ruffled his wings, becoming utterly still once more as she stopped, in plain view from the window, and lifted her t-shirt over her head. As a mortal, she was… beautiful. She had long, wavy dark hair and dark, expressive brown eyes. Her skin was creamy white, enticingly pale and her soft, heart-shaped face was almost as expressive as her eyes. And he could see shadows there, inviting darkness… but as if that didn't make her beautiful enough, her aura wrapped around her, smoky, silvery wisps that extended from her skin like delicate petals on a flower. _

_As if sensing his perusal, she froze, raising her head. She frowned, before reaching for the button on her jeans. It didn't occur to him that in the mortal world, what he was doing was considered perverted. He watched, entranced, as she revealed her slender, pale legs._

_He had never seen the appeal in mortals — vampires were more beautiful, less breakable — but there was something about her, this shadow-kissed girl, that resonated deeply inside of him. He longed to taste her blood, to break the thin membrane of her skin and taste the shadows in her emotions._

_She covered up her beautiful, slender body in a long, plain t-shirt that fell mid-thigh, leaving her long, glorious legs bare. She wandered over to the window, a soft frown marring her beautiful face as she peered outside, opening the window. He took advantage of the opening to slip inside her room — too fast for her to follow the movement — and he settled in a dark corner above her closet, watching as she sighed, the silver tendrils of her aura swirling gently in the breeze, before she closed the window and climbed onto her bed. He felt deeply disappointed when she drew her duvet over her body, hiding it from his sight, as she reached for a book lying on her nightstand._

_He was mildly curious about what she considered reading material, but he dared not move from his hiding space, lest she see him. He would have time to reveal himself to her later — he knew that he could not let her go now. There was something special about her, something that was more than just desire — he was fascinated by her aura. While Tanya and Heidi both had blue—black aura — a mark of their allegiance to my coven — and Edward's was a murky grey, I had never once seen something as beautiful as hers, a tantalizing silver._

_He watched as her eyes suddenly widened, the book falling from her hands with an audible gasp._

It had to be coincidence. My hands shook as I placed the book down on the duvet, my heart hammering in my chest as I stared up at the top of my closet.

I made a mental note to e-mail Alice Brandon later to tell her that her book was… scary? The names — Rosalie and Edward — the fact that the vampire, Demetri, had gone looking for and ended up finding not a blond, but a girl who sounded similar to me, the fact that I'd felt someone watching me while I got changed while the vampire watched _her_…

Slowly, I slid out of bed and grabbed the chair from my dressing table. My hands were trembling so much that I almost dropped the chair on my foot but I placed it down safely in front of the closet. I took a deep breath, fighting the panic building in my chest as I climbed up onto the chair and closed my eyes.

_Please be a coincidence. Please be a coincidence._

I opened my eyes, sweeping them over the top of the closet, but there was no creature — bat or otherwise — hiding in the shadows. I exhaled loudly with relief, stepping down off the chair and placing it back over by the dressing table.

I climbed into bed, grabbing the book so I could finish the page before I fell asleep.

_When her eyes fixed on his hiding place, Demetri stiffened with incredulity — she couldn't know he was here! He was invisible to her in the shadows. When she climbed out of bed, grabbing the chair by her dressing table, Demetri panicked. He unfolded his webbed wings, propelling himself forward too fast for her eyes to see. He could not risk her finding him, not yet. Still flying, he began to vibrate rapidly, his long, lithe legs hitting the floor while his hands grabbed her door, pulling it open as he fled, closing it with an inaudible click behind him — all in less than a second. She could never have heard; he was safe._

_At least for tonight._

I put down the book, my heartbeat escalating in my chest.

_It's just coincidence_, I repeated to myself. _There's no such thing as vampires!_

It didn't matter what I told myself — I still didn't sleep a wink that night.

**A/N:  
Please review!**


	3. Threat

**A/N:  
Thank you so much for reviewing!! Please review if you have the time :P Again, the ball mentioned is NOT an engagement party...**

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**~*~Demetri~*~**

"My prince!" Tanya knocked once, pushing open the door to my bedroom. Her pale skin was paler than usual, black tendrils of her aura swirling around her body, seeming to vibrate with the emotions she was radiating.

_Panic_.

"Did you kill Mike?" Heidi demanded lazily. I sat up, my eyes narrowing and Heidi began trailing her cold fingers down my back, making me shiver. Her knuckles grazed the outline of my spine, closely followed by her lips, and I closed my eyes, momentarily distracted.

"No," Tanya snapped. "It's the Volturi."

"What?" I pushed Heidi away from me, grabbing my long, green robe from the floor. Heidi followed at a more languorous pace, shrugging into her clothes, while I strode past Tanya into the basement living room.

Edward was reclining on the sofa, pinching his nose between his fingers while his grayish aura hovered like a smoky cloud around him, darker than before. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed in concentration and I knew that he had begun developing his hearing, and combined with his sight, it was starting to overwhelm him.

When I entered the room silently, his eyes flickered open, focusing on me accurately without hesitation. Good. His reflexes were stronger.

"Get up," I said quickly. "Tanya — get the others."

Tanya nodded her head, disappearing through another door. The basement under _Trix_ was small enough — there were six rooms, including the living room. My bedroom, Edward's, the feeding room, Tanya and Heidi's room, and finally the 'dungeon'. Tanya and Heidi had jokingly named it as such, since it was where we kept prisoners — usually humans who knew too much or Shadow Vampires that stepped out of line — until I decided their fate. The dungeon was the largest room in the place, with a separate door leading into the sewer system beneath the city. Most of the tunnels weren't used, and we'd converted them into storage places and rooms for most of my coven who had no desire to live within human society.

I heard Tanya's quick footsteps fade into the tunnels.

"What's up?" Edward asked, his gaze flicking between myself and Heidi. He moved, making room for Heidi on the sofa, and she sat gracefully beside him, immediately lifting her hand to his hair. Heidi was like that with most of the males in my coven — affectionate, playful. Though, admittedly, I was a little jealous of her fascination with Edward's hair. True, it _was_ an unusual color and he wore it disheveled, an artfully tussled look.

When she touched _my_ hair, it helped me relax, helped me concentrate, and I could see that it was the same for Edward; after a few seconds, his aura began to relax, to dissipate slightly, and the frown disappeared from his brow. He was adjusting well to his transformation.

"The Volturi are paying a visit," I explained, pursing my lips. It was never a good thing when Aro decided to intrude on my personal space. He had a soft spot for me — he had continually tried to seduce me over to his side, to live as he did and join his flamboyant guard — but the feeling was not mutual. The way he lived was embarrassing to our kind — my coven embraced what we were and we lived forever because of it. Aro chose to deny his true heritage and he was about to waste away. He was close to the end of his five centuries.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, I wonder?" Heidi asked sarcastically. Like me, she had no love for Aro. Before she fully completed her transformation, Aro had made an attempt to seduce her over to his side to no avail. She was disgusted by the way he lived and the bond we had forged while she was human was far too strong for him to ever hope to break it.

"It won't be good," I said, thinking. "Not now. You were at the Accords, last time, weren't you?"

"He wanted jurisdiction over _us_," Heidi spat. "That fucking fool thought he could have a shadow guard."

"He can't stand that we're stronger. He'd join us if he wasn't so scared of the darkness," I mused.

"Scared of the dark?" Edward's eyes held mine, shadows glittering in their dark green depths. There was a hardened look on his face, something that had only recently begun to surface the closer he got to completing this phase of his transformation. He scoffed at Aro, though he did not understand the Volturi vampire.

"If he were one of us, Caius would stab him in his sleep," Heidi said, a malicious smirk on her face. "Sleep, for him, is darkness. He revels in having total awareness."

"His awareness is also a defense against my gift," I explained. "Aro would rather die than ever allow me access to his unprotected thoughts." My voice was heavy with a separate meaning; seeing the hardened look in Edward's eyes made me curious. The flicker of comprehension in his eyes assured me that he knew that I would be in his head the second he closed his eyes. I knew that my dream-walking perturbed him and actually knowing that I would be visiting his head made him squirm. It was becoming increasingly difficult to make Edward uncomfortable around me and I used every advantage I could to make him as uncomfortable as possible. I fed off the dark in his aura. Being out of his comfort zone made his aura the strongest I'd ever seen it.

I wondered about visiting his head tonight, but my mind immediately rejected the thought.

Subconsciously, I had already decided what I would be doing tonight.

I was drawn to the girl, the beauty of her self-discovered aura, and the draw of her body. She was a seductive combination of innocence, darkness and intuition. My stomach tightened, my brow furrowing as I remembered how she'd seemed to know that I was there, hiding above her closet in her room. What was more startling was how much I _wanted_ her to know that I was there. To invite me to watch her further, to touch her… Would she be strong enough to handle the transformation? She was not at all like Rosalie Swan, shallow-minded and mentally weak. Rosalie's aura would consume her, but this girl… she was something else entirely.

"They're coming." Heidi tilted her head, nudging Edward gently as she whispered for him to focus. He lifted his fingers to his temples and massaged his head gently, his brow furrowed in concentration as he listened for the approaching footsteps of my coven.

Moments later, they trickled through the dungeon door, spreading out in a defensive position around the living room. Emmett, the strongest of my coven, moved to stand next to me. It was his usual position when we were expecting trouble.

Normally, the attractive vampire was distracted by Heidi and Tanya, or whatever females happened to be around at the time, but when there was a threat hanging in the air, he never wavered from his role as my bodyguard.

There were about thirty shadow vampires in my living room now, each one silent and watching me.

"Tanya?" I enquired evenly.

"They're close to the club now. Should I invite them in?"

I inclined my head and she disappeared up the stairs, a convincing smile playing on her lips despite the apprehension swirling around her in dark, sharp wisps.

"Edward," I said calmly, "he'll want you."

"Fuck him." Edward met my gaze, his expression resolved. "I can handle this."

"If you're sure."

Edward inclined his head, pulling away from Heidi. He stood, running a hand through his hair before he moved to stand with the others. Heidi remained on the sofa, a bored expression on her face. She never considered the Volturi much of a threat.

The room was quiet as we listened to the footsteps upstairs. The basement door opened and Tanya walked down the steps, her face expressionless, coming to a stop on the other side of Emmett. The confidence in her aura spiked as she stood behind him; she felt safer behind the bodyguard.

The vampire that stepped into the basement next seemed old, though he was frozen somewhere close to thirty. His skin was pasty, chalk-like and more weathered than the skin of a Shadow Vampire, and his eyes were a wide, disgustingly yellow color. His chapped lips broke into a grin when he saw me and it only faded slightly as he took in the gathering in the basement.

He was oblivious to the tendrils of dark auras that gravitated around him, testing his emotions, draining the darker emotions from his body. Though, when he shivered, I was sure he could feel them.

His guards followed him, swarming around him like a protective curtain as he stood in the living room, surveying my coven. When the flurry of movement was over, Aro broke through the ranks of his guards, coming to stand by the sofa that Edward had just vacated.

"Demetri, old friend," he greeted, smiling widely.

Auras surged forward, black and thick, as though calling me "friend" was an insult, but Aro was oblivious and no one uttered a single word.

"Aro." I inclined my head. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Aro chuckled, but his beady, yellow eyes were cold. "The pleasure's all mine, I'm afraid. The Accords… have been broken."

A gasp of outrage and disbelief rippled through my coven, but no one stepped forward, as I knew Aro was expecting. My coven was not so easily provoked; they feared my reaction as much as they respected my wishes.

"Excuse me?" I said evenly.

The Accords had been broken? It was impossible to rewrite the Accords — they were a set of rules, guidelines that the Volturi vampires and Shadow Vampires decided on through the vampire council every century or so. They were spelled by Quileute magic, forced to remain unbroken or the vampires who broke them were cursed by Quileute magic. The vampire council consisted of Quileutes shape-shifters who existed simply to keep the vampire population from breaking out into war.

Only, it seemed that the Volturi had found a way around them.

Aro chuckled. "It was rather simple, really. We found this one —" His guard shoved a body forward. I realized that the low thumping sound in the room was the heart of the mortal in front of us, beating fast in his chest. He was hardly much older than a boy, his long, black hair tied back with an elastic band, and he had dark, russet skin, betraying his ancestry. "Jacob here was thrown out of the Quileute club when he told his little girlfriend what he was. Fortunately for us, Quileute magic is permanent and he's still as strong as the others on the council. He broke the Accords for us, didn't you, boy?"

The boy nodded, his body unnaturally still. His face was expressionless — the rapid thrumming of his heart was only thing that betrayed how apprehensive he actually was.

"And now what, hmm?" I asked, one brow cocked. "Are you here to declare war?" Aro had a sadistic glint in his eyes — a look I knew all too well. Aro wanted my coven, he wanted my vampires. He would slaughter them all until there was one left, one that he could use to make more, all loyal to him alone.

I watched him closely as he scanned the crowd, taking in their resolute expressions as they stood behind me, loyal to _me_. His eyes did a double take when they landed on Edward, the only member of my coven who had yet to complete his transformation.

All he would have to do was drink from an animal. It would be painful, reversing the damage that the darkness had already done to his body, but it could be done. Aro knew this. But Aro could offer him a life similar to the one I would offer, but he would be under Aro's supervision.

"What have we here, Demetri?" Aro sang, moving closer to Edward.

Edward held Aro's gaze without flinching, his nose wrinkled in disgust. I almost smiled; Heidi's attitude toward the Volturi had been rubbing off on him. I glanced at Heidi, realizing that she was thinking the same thing when her aura rose in dark humor, lighter than the sharp, determined auras of those around her. She did not believe that it would end in battle today, and neither did I.

But it _would_ end in an ultimatum.

"Eleazar." Aro snapped his fingers, and a member of his guard stepped forward. Eleazar, I knew, had the gift to sense other gifts. I stiffened, realizing that Aro would covet Edward's gift as much as I did. It was a strange, beautiful gift to have, if dangerous. The possibilities that it would provide if he chose to delve into the mortal world were endless. Trafficking, spying…

Eleazar's widened. "He — his body — is addictive. He's the embodiment of a drug."

The excitement on Aro's face was disgusting. It took a lot of self-control not to situate myself between Edward and Aro, or to attack the Volturi leader. I wouldn't let him have Edward, even if Edward volunteered to give himself freely.

_I_ had found him, _I_ had seduced him into becoming one of us; he was _mine_.

"Really?" Aro smiled, wide and threatening. "Jane." He snapped his fingers again. A small, childlike girl stepped forward, her angelic face turned toward her master. It was almost sickening how devoted she was to Aro — before, I would have thought that she would have made a beautiful Shadow Vampire. Though what she was did not allow for an aura to develop, sometimes I could taste the sadistic darkness leaking from her body, invisible and delicious.

"Yes, Master?" she asked in a soft, melodic voice.

"Kiss him," Aro instructed.

"No." Edward scowled, glaring defiantly at Aro. The auras of those closest to him surged forward, shrouding him in dark smoke as protective urges rose in the vampires around him. Though he was not a Shadow Vampire yet, he had already been accepted into our coven.

Aro glanced at Jane and suddenly Edward was writhing on the floor, his face contorted in agony as Jane used her sadistic power on him. His muscles locked, a low groan escaping his lips before he clamped his mouth shut, enduring the pain in silence.

"That's enough," I said coldly. I flicked my wrist at Heidi and she disappeared, moving faster than Volturi eyes could follow, until she reappeared at Edward's side. She clasped his hand, helping him up, while Jane looked at her master for instruction.

"Kiss him," Aro repeated.

"No," Edward said, louder this time. "I am not yours. I do not obey you."

I was amused by Edward's attitude, though I fought not to show it through my aura. My fury at Aro's disregard of a member of my coven overrode the amusement seconds later, when I saw him glance at Jane. I inclined my head at Emmett and within seconds, Jane was thrown against the back wall, her body making a loud, resounding bang against the concrete. She slumped to the floor, but she returned to her feet a few seconds later, her eyes narrowed at Emmett.

"Now, Demetri. There was no need for that," Aro scolded.

"There was every need, Aro. Edward is a member of my coven, and I will protect him as such."

"Edward, hmm?" Aro smirked, looking over Edward speculatively. "You are… unusual, to say the least."

"I am… _stronger_… than you," Edward said carefully, his lips curving into a tiny smirk. "I feel it." His eyes flicked in my direction, narrowing infinitesimally. Asking for permission.

I inclined my head.

He lifted his hand, his brow furrowed in concentration as he touched the Volturi leader's cheek, his touch gentle despite the malicious smirk now adorning his mouth. For a second, it seemed like nothing happened. Then Aro began to lean forward, his eyes hooded, and Heidi let out a bark of laughter.

Aro's guard rushed forward and Edward dropped his hand.

Aro blinked, his face a nauseating contortion of adoration but it began to fade as Edward's effect on him wore off. He took a few steps back, staggering slightly, as he stared at Edward with incredulity.

"So… beautiful," he whispered, his eyes wide.

Edward rolled his eyes. "You're not my type, sorry."

I was amazed that Edward's gift had worked so successfully on a Volturi vampire before his transformation had been completed. Even with his power manifesting before he had ever become a vampire, I was surprised that it was _this_ strong. When he finally completed his transformation, would he be able to have some level of influence over a Shadow Vampire? As it was, I wouldn't be surprised if his gift wasn't already fatal to mortals.

"Aro," Eleazar said pointedly, clearing his throat.

Aro seemed to shake his head, a habit that mortals had when they were trying to shake off their confusion. When he turned back to me, his eyes were hard and I knew that his desire for Edward's gift had just solidified his decision to take my coven. "The Accords are finished," he said.

"I suspected as much," I said dryly. "Should I seduce you over to my side, now?"

I gestured toward Edward, only half-joking. Edward folded his arms over his chest, smirking at Aro. The Volturi guard looked wary.

"I'm sorry, old friend," Aro mused, unperturbed by my suggestion. "Your way of life… does not appeal to me. However, I _am_ willing to leave you be."

"Why would that be?"

Aro chuckled. "You would obviously not be so… _in charge_… if you know what I'm talking about."

There were a few outraged murmurs, though most of them were just assurances of how I would always be their prince. It was not the gifts that the Quileutes had blessed me with that made me their leader — they _chose_ to respect me, to follow me, and they were content to be under my protection.

"And if I do not agree to your… _plan_?" I asked evenly.

"I thought you might say that," Aro said, as though my questions were tedious. "And you have a month to agree, or there _will_ be war."

I laughed, though it sounded cold and humorless. "We are stronger than you, Aro. You have no chance of winning."

"I have Quileute magic. I have numbers. I _will_ have your little followers, Demetri. I think you underestimate me," Aro responded touchily.

I rolled my eyes patronizingly. "Whatever you say, old friend. Now, if you don't mind, _get out_."

It hadn't meant to come out so rudely, but the fact that he was standing in my home, threatening me, infuriated me. I knew that we would win — my followers would not desert me and creating more would not be too difficult in a month — but Aro's attitude was grating on my nerves.

Aro inclined his head, unperturbed by my attitude, and he led his guard back up the steps without another word, disappearing through the door and into the club upstairs.

We listened as their footsteps faded and they left the building, back to wherever they would be staying until his plan came to pass.

"Follow him," I said to Tanya. "Find out where they're staying."

There weren't many places in Seattle that they could hide, but I wasn't taking my chances on guessing where they were. The less surprises they had on their side, the better.

When Tanya left, the murmurs of outrage swelled and arguments erupted everywhere in the room. Heidi and Edward moved to my side, both of them eyeing the crowd carefully while I sorted through my plans.

"Quiet!" I exclaimed after a few seconds, rubbing the furrow between my eyes. They could not physically give me a headache, but my thoughts were flustered with all the noise.

As I knew they would, everyone fell silent, turning to stare at me expectantly.

"We'll build an army," I said decisively. "We need to plan this — we can't turn just anybody."

"We could start with Eddie's girlfriend," Irina suggested, offering Edward an amused smile when he swore under his breath. His aura flared around him and I growled, glaring at him.

"Get your temper under control," I snapped. This was no time to be getting upset over a nickname.

"Changing Rosalie will kill her," Heidi said. "We've already discussed this. She's not strong enough to take the shadows."

"Her aura would probably be pink, anyway," Emmett grinned, slouching down on the sofa. He was the only person unaffected by what had just transpired — actually, I suspected he welcomed the battle. He was restless, unused to our world being at peace for so long.

"Disgusting," Kate agreed.

"If I end up with her for eternity, I _will_ kill myself," Edward said, his words a threat. The bastard was threatening _me_? He had some nerve! It was the first time that I had heard him outwardly speak ill of his fiancé or whatever she was to him, but I knew that it was not really about her — that sentence had been _all_ about me. He did _not_ want her to join us.

"Alright. Homework," I said. "Scout about tonight. I want names, suspected tolerance levels. No biting, unless you're killing."

There was a certain excitement in the air at the thought of tonight's activities and the crowd began to trickle back through the dungeon to the sewers where Tanya had found them.

When it was just Heidi and Edward left in the room, I moved onto my favorite armchair, pursing my lips as I leaned forward, my elbows resting on my thighs and my fingers arched in a pyramid against my mouth.

Edward resumed his original position on the sofa, his legs up and his nose pinched between his fingers. Heidi moved to sit on the arm of my chair and she ran her fingers absentmindedly through my hair, humming softly under her breath while she thought.

"Edward…?" I started hesitantly.

Edward looked at me, frowning at my tone.

"Rosalie… she has a sister?" I asked carefully. I did not want him to know about my sudden interest in the dark haired girl and her alluring aura, but I had the sudden _need_ to know who she was, to know her name.

"I think so," Edward answered disinterestedly. "I haven't met her. I have yet to be invited to the Swan residence."

"Do you know her name?" I insisted.

Edward's frown deepened as he thought and I waited patiently though I felt anything but. I wanted to know about her and I was alarmed by the relief that had flooded me when Edward had admitted to never seeing her. He was to be with Rosalie — but I couldn't have him touching her sister, not while he was so strong. If he addicted her — even if it was by accident — I was not sure that I would not want to kill him.

I wanted her.

_Mine_.

"Uh… Isabella, I think," Edward answered. "Why?"

I flashed him a wicked, pointed grin, and told him the truth. "Because I got the wrong window last night."

Edward's scowl was dark — almost frightening in it's strength — as he grew less human, and even Heidi flinched under his glare. But I had successfully distracted him — he was no longer curious as to why I wanted to know about the girl — _Isabella _— because he thought I was paying Rosalie a visit.

But I doubted the blond would ever come under my scrutiny, not when Isabella was close. She would have my full attention.

"Aren't your parents having a ball this weekend?" Heidi asked Edward.

"Yes," Edward said tersely. "Your names are already on the guest list."

"How thoughtful," Heidi grinned. "Aren't you afraid we'll kill all the guests?"

"Kill them," Edward said, bored. "I don't really fucking care anymore."

The tendrils of his aura wafted slowly around his head, shrouding him in obscurity, and I thought, for one moment, that he really _didn't_ care. But he still _did_ on some level, because he was still half-mortal, and like he'd reached the same conclusion, his aura relaxed and the smoky essence retreated around his torso.

I was a little disapproving of whatever ties he still kept — I would have encouraged his killing spree had he decided to drain them all at the party.

As long as he kept one girl alive.

_My _girl.

**~*~Bella~*~**

It was impossible to read the passage and not think that the Rosalie character was not _my_ Rose. _My_ sister. Demetri's description of her, weak and shallow, were close… but my loyalties were with _her_ and I hated the way they talked about her.

But Rosalie's treatment was not what bothered me. Actually, _bothered_ was pretty tame as a way of describing how I was feeling right now.

_Mine_.

_My girl_.

_Isabella._

It was the first time that the brown-haired girl with the silver aura's name had been mentioned, and it was _mine_. My birth name, at least. My hands shook as I finished the chapter, my heart thundering a thousand times a minute in my chest. How could all of this be a series of coincidences?

This… Demetri character… had staked some kind of claim on… _my character_ (I would _not_ think of her as me)…

How was this happening? If it _wasn't_ coincidence, how had my life become words on a page before it had even happened? Several times I had tried to force myself to read the back page, to skip to the epilogue, but my body refused to co-operate with my brain. I could only read in chronological order, no matter how hard I tried otherwise.

That, right there, was the icing on the cake.

I was _beyond_ freaked out.

I mean, if what Alice Brandon wrote was true, then… _vampires_ existed.

I felt sick.

It was the fourth time that morning that I'd had to force myself to put down the book and stumble into my bathroom. I pushed up the toilet seat and dry-heaved, a sheen of sweat breaking out on my forehead as I collapsed against the bath.

I couldn't talk to anyone about this. Who would believe me?

Who would even _care_?

Rosalie was wrapped up in the Cullen's ball and Renée was wrapped up in _her._ Charlie was wrapped up in business.

I was… alone. Like always. But now, being alone was beginning to scare me.

Almost like it was a compulsion, I picked up the book again, reading from where I left off.

_While Demetri forced himself to concentrate on his plans to build an army, Rosalie realized that she had a problem. Actually, more specifically, Rosalie had a problem with her _sister_. Rosalie felt sorry for her sister. There were never boys crowding around her in public, fawning over her the way they did over Rosalie, but Rosalie understood why. While Rosalie had inherited Charlie's hair color but Renée's classical looks, Isabella was… plain. There was nothing remarkable about her, in Rosalie's opinion, which was why she was now facing the problem of who was going to attend the ball with her sister._

_She pulled out her cell phone, scrolling through her phonebook for possible candidates, not once thinking that Isabella could find her own date, and made a list of suggestions. None of them were as handsome as Edward, but Rosalie needed a date that didn't stand out enough to steal her spotlight while making Isabella disappear altogether. _

Charlie. Renée. More coincidences? I laughed out loud, but it was dull and humorless, and my own voice made me cringe. I climbed up off the floor, carrying the book with me as I walked into my room. I had my own laptop — actually, it was an old one of Rosalie's — and I booted it up, tapping my fingers impatiently on the key-board as I waited for it to load up. I clicked into my MSN account, starting a fresh e-mail.

_Dear Ms. Alice Brandon,_

I stopped typing. What was I supposed to say? I checked the inside cover, reading off the information that I had already memorized, and I typed her e-mail into the address bar. I took a deep breath, thinking back to when things had become strange that first night in my room.

_My name is Isabella Swan, or Bella for short. I am not a joke. Or a coincidence._

Would she believe me? Would she even read this?

_I recently bought your book at a local bookstore in Seattle. I read a piece of yours online and had been eagerly anticipating your first novel for a long time. _

_The novel… is not what I expected. This is going to sound crazy, but the things you write… are actually __happening__. At least, I __think__ parts of it are. _

I paused, my lips pursed in thought. Even if, by some chance, Alice Brandon _did_ know what was going on, what could she do about it? The book was already published — it wasn't like she could rewrite my past or something.

_Please contact me if you have any idea of what is going on._

At least I wouldn't be alone in this.

I hated being alone.

_Thank you,  
Bella_

I clicked send, the breath whooshing from my body.

I waited, refreshing my inbox every couple of seconds, but there was no reply. I knew that I shouldn't expect a reply right away, if at all, but thinking that didn't help quell my impatience or my unease.

I was just reaching for the book, almost fearing what I would read next, when Rosalie burst into my room without bothering to knock.

"Hey," she said breezily.

"Um… hi," I said carefully. "How is the planning for the Cullen's ball going?"

"Oh." She waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. Actually, I need you to come downstairs after lunch." Her eyes gleamed excitedly. "We're interviewing dates to take you to the party."

"Um… that's, um, great," I said awkwardly. Two years ago, I would have refused on the spot. I would have thrown a tantrum until I'd gotten my way, but I _wouldn't_ get my way. Once, Renée had had me sedated because of my attitude, and since then, I'd learned to swallow my thoughts and go along with what they wanted. Arguing wouldn't get me anywhere — once they decided what they were doing, I couldn't persuade them otherwise.

_Maybe _that's _why you suddenly have an invisible aura._

The thought made me want to vomit again. I didn't want to compare myself to the Isabella in the book.

"Great," Rosalie beamed at me. "Later, then."

She turned and left, closing the door behind her. Her perfume lingered in the room, stifling in its potency, and I wrinkled my nose. I wished that I could go to this ball alone, or not at all, but I knew that I would never get out of it. Even if I got by Rosalie, I would never get by Renée.

I picked up the book, wincing as my thoughts were shoved back in my face, through the words. I didn't have to read. I already knew.

After lunch, I made my way downstairs cautiously. Rosalie was almost a blur as she moved between rooms, making arrangements on her cell phone and smiling at Renée every time my mother asked her a question.

I slipped into the immaculate living room, dropping into an armchair in the corner. Neither of them noticed I was there until my name was mentioned, and I cleared my throat, making my presence known.

"Oh!" Renée exclaimed. "I didn't see you there."

_Do you ever?_ I thought.

I shrugged. "I'm here."

"Good," Rosalie said. "Someone has just pulled up."

Rosalie went to answer the door and came back into the living room with a tall, gangly boy with braces and greasy hair. At least, it _looked_ greasy, but it was probably just all the gel in his hair. His eyes landed on me and he smiled widely and I had to fight back a grimace. He would have been okay looking had he been wearing anything other than a pair of slacks and a cardigan — and brushed his teeth once in awhile.

"Eric Yorkie, right?" Rosalie said, smiling. "We met at Lauren Mallory's sixteenth birthday a few years ago."

"Yeah, that's me," Eric said.

I barely listened to their conversation as Rosalie asked about his qualifications, if he was at college, how much his trust fund was worth… Rosalie scribbled away on a clipboard while Renée nodded and smiled, and then Eric was replaced with another suitor and the cycle began again.

The next guy, Tyler Crowley, wasn't half as bad. He was tall, black-haired and a little on the narcissistic side, but I could live with that. He smiled at me, like Eric had, but it wasn't like the smile he gave Rosalie, full of jealous longing.

Ben Cheney was even nicer, which was probably why he lasted all of five minutes before Rosalie dismissed him, shaking her head. She made up a lame excuse about bad connections, but I knew she was afraid that he was too noticeable to be seen with me.

The interviewing went on until seven that evening — there were a total of twenty-four guys that came to the house — and Rosalie eventually settled on Eric.

I wanted to hit her. I wanted to lash out and scream that it was _my_ life that they were ruining, but I remained quiet and still in my seat. Renée agreed with Rosalie's choice and I couldn't help but feel that they were picking out my future husband.

Now that Eric had been chosen, he would probably accompany me to every other social gathering we had, and then Charlie would just suggest that it was time I followed Rosalie's example — and I would find myself married to Eric for the rest of my life.

What did Alice Brandon have to say about that?

I felt nauseous when I thought about the book and the coincidences surrounding it… but for one, tiny moment in the living room that afternoon, I wished that Demetri _would_ come and claim me.

Because even living with a coven of demented vampires would be better than this… _hell_. This silent, torturous hell where I was silently suffocating and nobody could hear me.

But then I thought about how scared I was, and I knew that I was safer living life Renée and Charlie's way… because believing that a book held sway over my life was crazy.

Which raised the question: _Was_ I insane?

**~*~Edward~*~**

"Edward, is that you?"

I winced, letting the door click closed with much louder force than I intended, since I was already caught sneaking in. "Yes, Mom."

I hadn't been home in over twenty-four hours. My parents probably hadn't noticed for about twenty of those hours, but the four that they _had_ were enough to make them worried and angry. I was trying to pull away from them because I would have to leave really soon, but it wasn't working out as well as I had hoped. Especially now that they'd brought Rosalie Swan into the picture.

Esme appeared in the hallway, her soft face contorted into a worried frown. "Where have you been?" she demanded.

I resisted the urge to point out that I was twenty-two years old — I didn't need to answer to her — because as long as I lived here, she thought she had the right to make most of my decisions for me. Giving in to Demetri had been a rebellion against her at first, but now I was determined to see my decision through. I _wanted_ to be a Shadow Vampire.

Esme stepped closer and I froze, trying in vain not to inhale the dangerously alluring scent of her blood. I could hear her heart thudding away in her chest, oblivious to any changes that had taken place in my body, and it was steady. She was not afraid of me. Hunger tightened my stomach and my throat burned, my brain swiftly overriding my arguments against biting her, but then it abated as suddenly as it had come… and I was… _me_… again.

"Out," I answered curtly. "Was there something you wanted?"

Esme's eyes flashed angrily. "Edward! Drop the attitude."

I waited, my brow cocked, for her to continue. The urge that had once been there, to obey her blindly because she was my mother, no longer existed. Not since I'd pledged my allegiance to Demetri's coven. The word 'mother' did not have the same connotations to me now.

"Rosalie has been ringing here all day, trying to get the arrangements made for _our_ party. You should have been helping her. She _is_ your fiancé," Esme stated.

Still, I waited. I didn't know what she wanted me to say. She knew that I didn't support her decision to make me marry Rosalie because we'd be a 'good' match. Rosalie was a selfish, shallow bitch and I doubted that I'd ever be happy with her. The only reason I didn't want Demetri anywhere near her was because I was afraid he'd take a liking to her and she'd end up becoming a very permanent part of my life.

But he'd already been and instead he'd seen Rosalie's sister.

I frowned, mentally praying that she wasn't anything like Rosalie. I was perfectly serious about killing myself if I had to put up with someone like her for the rest of my existence.

"Edward!" Esme exclaimed. "_Say_ something!"

"You look nice today," I said. It was the first thing that came into my head. "Do you have any pictures of Rosalie's family?" I added. "Just in case, you know, I meet an uncle and I make a fool of myself."

Esme, simple as she was, did not realize that my interest was, in fact, boredom. She managed an excited smile and hurried off in the direction of the living room. I waited, staring around the hallway as though I hadn't seen it before.

In a way, I _hadn't_. Everything was so much clearer now, more focused. Instead of cream walls, I could detect several different colors and shades in the paint and it wasn't a very nice combination. Demetri's basement was decorated in a way that was far easier on the eyes.

Thinking of the basement made me long to escape once more, but I couldn't. I had to go upstairs and suppress another headache while I tried to balance out my hearing and my sight.

Esme returned with a photo album, which I took with me up to my room. It didn't feel like my room anymore — I had a room at Demetri's basement now. The walls were dark blue and the bed was made with meticulous precision — there wasn't a hair out of place. In the closet, my clothes were pressed and folded carefully and there was no cluttered desk area or porn under my bed.

My room was not my own.

I climbed onto the bed, flipping open the photo album.

Rosalie was the main event in almost every photograph. She _was_ very photogenic, like her mother. There were pictures of Rosalie growing up, a tiny, angelic kid. There was no awkward phase for her. It took me two run-throughs to realize that Rosalie's sister probably popped up very little in the photos — enough to make me wonder which girl was even her. There _was_ another blond who appeared, but there was no resemblance to Rose whatsoever. I didn't think that it was her.

On my third run-through, I finally stopped close to the end as something caught my eye. It was a picture of Rosalie on her seventeenth birthday, her head resting on her mother's shoulder as she smiled at the camera. But beside her… beside her was a girl that had only appeared once before in the pictures. I mentally kicked myself for not seeing it sooner — her eyes, like Rosalie's, were wide-set and a chocolate-brown color. But unlike Rosalie's, hers seemed deeper, more expressive. She was hovering in the background, a forced smile playing on her soft, subtly pouting mouth and there was tension in the small pucker between her eyes. Her hair, unlike Rosalie's, was a dark, wavy brown that curled softly at the ends, framing her pale, heart-shaped face. In the picture, she couldn't have been more than fourteen, but she was beautiful in an understated, mysterious way. There was something about her, something more alluring than Rosalie's blatant beauty.

_Isabella_. I was sure that was her name now — Rosalie had mentioned her a few times when we'd spoken.

I glanced at my barely used cell phone, lying on my nightstand, as the screen lit up. I had forgotten that the profile had been on silent, and, sighing, I picked it up, recognizing Rosalie's name on the screen. I clicked the answer button and left the phone on my bed. I wouldn't need to hold it to my ear to hear what she was saying, thanks to my new heightened senses.

"Edward, are you there?" she said, a little frantic.

"Yeah," I grunted.

"Oh, good." Her voice was laden with relief. "Did you get my messages?"

"No. I just turned on my phone," I lied.

"Oh." Pause. "What are you doing?"

"Reading."

"Right, well, I was just ringing to talk about arrangements for the ball, and I —"

"Your sister's name is Isabella, right?" I interrupted her.

"Yeah, Bella. Why are you asking about her?" Rosalie sounded a little put out.

"A friend mentioned her," I lied.

"Was it Eric?"

"Yeah." Why would Eric Yorkie be talking to me about Isabella — Bella?

"Oh! What did he say?"

"Nothing much."

"Oh." Now she sounded disappointed. "He's accompanying her to the ball. I thought that they'd make a good match. Maybe she could… date him for a while."

I couldn't understand the sudden flare of hatred for Eric Yorkie I felt, burning in my chest. Somehow, I knew that Bella and Eric Yorkie together would not be a good idea. There was… _something_… about her that wouldn't mesh well with a generic, greasy-haired idiot like Yorkie. But why would she accept him? She could hardly be wanting for suitors, going by the photo in front of me. She would have been about seventeen now — how much could a person change in three years?

"Right." I winced at my tone. It was the kind of bored, slightly irritated voice I adapted when I was lounging in Demetri's basement, listening to Heidi and Tanya fight over whose turn it was to give him a fucking massage. "I have to go."

"Oh… okay," Rosalie sighed, her voice reluctant. "Call you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Whatever. I hung up the phone, dropping it back down on the nightstand and ignoring the numerous messages she had left me earlier.

I wasn't tired — hell, I doubted I'd be tired for another few days yet — so I walked over to my window, flinging it open wide. I knew that Demetri was out hunting or some shit tonight, so Heidi would be here somewhere. She followed me home sometimes when she was bored.

I left the window open while I grabbed my laptop and booted it up, pulling it onto my lap as I lounged on my bed. A few minutes later, Heidi climbed lithely through the window, flashing me a quick grin as she shut it behind her and climbed onto the bed beside me.

"What's this?" She picked up the photo album, flipping through it absentmindedly.

"Rosalie's fucking biography," I scowled, grabbing the book from her hands and flinging it away from me. I had momentarily forgotten how strong I'd become and instead of falling onto the floor, the book was hurled into the closet, splintering the door of the wardrobe and dropping to the floor with a loud thump. "I hate her," I said honestly.

"You could always bite her first," Heidi suggested, her dark humor ever present.

"Don't tempt me," I muttered.

"Oh, I don't think _I'm_ the tempting one," she smiled, lifting her hand and running her fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes, letting her gentle ministrations soothe me. After a few minutes, she sighed, her breath close to my ear.

"It will be easier, when you learn to let go of love," she said quietly.

"_You_ never did," I pointed out. Heidi froze, her breath hitching, and I knew that what I'd guessed was true. Demetri believed that when you became a Shadow Vampire, bloodlust and just plain lust took over and you forgot what love was. You forged bonds that were strong, like friendship, but you never truly _loved_.

But Heidi… Heidi never let go. Heidi still retained that part of her humanity, proving Demetri's theory wrong.

"You're in love with Demetri, aren't you?" I said quietly.

"Yes." She started stroking my hair again. "Unfortunately."

Sensing Heidi's sudden melancholy, I smirked at her. "I could try tempting you away from him…?"

Heidi snorted. "I love having you around."

She ruffled my hair and I hummed in appreciation, snaking my arm around her waist. Heidi and I were close — not nearly as close as her and Demetri — but we felt comfortable with each other, something I could never fully be around Demetri. She really was a part of my family now. It _felt_ right to belong with them; I knew that I didn't belong with Esme and Carlisle anymore, if I ever did.

And even with the threat of war looming around us, I felt… happy.

* * *

**A/N:  
Please review if you haven't already! **


	4. La Tua Cantante

**A/N:  
Thank you so much for reviewing!! Don't forget to check out my poll if you haven't already!  
Thank you to the best beta in the world Fragile Human :D  
Also - "Anonymous" - it's kind of difficult to answer your questions when you leave an _anonymous_ review. But no, this is most definitely not in any way like Love You Like An Arsonist.**

* * *

~*~Bella~*~

My heart stalled, my breath hitching as I stumbled onto the next chapter. It took me a few seconds before I was able to read the next sentence, my fingers lifting to my neck as if I felt the impact of him, like my character.

_There was no control in his predatory movements —_

I slammed the book shut, unable to read further. I could read almost anything — hell, I _did_ read almost everything — but I couldn't force myself to read the words on the chapter and believe that hours later, I would find myself in that exact situation.

I slipped out of my hiding place in my windowless bathroom, my heart pounding. My body shook, and it wasn't entirely with panic and fear. A part of me, a very dominant part of me, felt like I had just experienced the beginning of a dream… and anticipated its fulfillment. It was impossible _not_ to feel confused. My head ached; did I _really_ want to know what was going to happen?

What good did knowing do me?

All I knew was that I was going to do something bad tonight… and I _had_ to keep myself from doing it. I had to defy the book.

The prickling, nervous tension sensation hovering beneath my skin seemed to intensify as I stepped into my room. My breathing was unstable, erratic, like my heartbeat, and it seemed to pick up as I glanced at my balcony door.

If the events of the book were true, then Demetri was watching from the tree outside my bedroom, his eyes following my every move.

The thought unsettled me more than I thought it would, even though I'd known for the last few days. He would be tired, his face drawn, yet his obsession with me would not permit him to leave and sleep.

Warily, I climbed into my bed, flicking off the bedside lamp and lying down, my back to the balcony. The prickling sensation at the back of my neck let me know that I was being watched, but I didn't turn. I bit my lip, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill down my cheeks. I'd known that this would happen, and the harder I fought the tears, the stronger the impulse to cry became. It was my first attempt at defying the book and I was failing dismally.

The urge became overwhelming and tears began to fall from my eyes. I was helpless to stop myself. Fear and hopelessness coiled like fists in my chest, suffocating me, and I fought to breathe.

_I had no control. I couldn't even control my own tear ducts._

The realization didn't make me stop trying to fight it.

I cried myself to sleep, unable to keep my heavy lids open.

~*~*~*~

Renée grimaced as I smoothed down the bodice of my dress, my brain on autopilot. It was royal blue, slightly too tight around my waist, with spaghetti straps and a knee-length hem that flared around my thighs. It was nothing like Rosalie's killer outfit, which was exactly why Renée had had it refitted for me.

For Rosalie, everything was perfect. I was wearing dark eye-liner, clear lip-gloss and a layer of foundation — enough to make me look pretty, and minimal enough that I wouldn't stand out as anything special. My shoes barely had heels on them — unlike Rosalie's, which accentuated the length of her legs and the curve of her calves — and my hair had been left alone, slightly wavy with loose curls on the ends.

"You look pretty," Rosalie assured me, smiling brightly. If she had any idea, she would have known that _assurance_ was not what I needed. I needed to scream at the top of my lungs and not be _drugged_ for the outburst.

"Yes, darling," Renée smiled. She turned to Rosalie and her whole face lit up. There were almost tears in her eyes as she embraced her favorite daughter, making a few adjustments to her hair as she did so. "You look so beautiful, Rose. I can't believe that my baby's all grown up."

"Oh, mom, I'll always be your baby!"

And cue the vomit.

"Where's my hug?" I muttered under my breath. "I _did_ hibernate in your womb for nine months too. The least you could do is remember."

"What was that, Bella?"

"Just thinking of what life will be like when Rose isn't here," I said, louder this time.

Renée looked like she was about to cry. Rosalie made a face at me, like her leaving was a touchy subject, but I really couldn't care anymore. She was committing herself to a half-blood vampire who despised her.

And a sick little part of me was happy. Rosalie had been adored all her life — what were the chances that she'd end up pledging her life to someone who saw her for what she truly was?

But she was my sister. How could I honestly not want to protect her from a potentially dangerous person? Edward, going by the book, was a vampire — that in itself was dangerous because he could so easily kill her if she was around when one of his cravings hit. But what if he addicted her and then abandoned her? It would be a slower, more painful death, and as much as I resented my sister, I didn't want her to die.

It wasn't _her_ fault that she was like this.

The doorbell rang and Charlie cleared his throat, rising from the sofa. He didn't say anything, but he glared at me as he walked past. I was unaffected by the cold looks he often bestowed on me; over time I'd grown immune to the lack of love between us.

Charlie opened the front door and I followed him out into the hall, fighting back a grimace as Eric Yorkie smiled, holding out his hand to shake my father's. Even from where I was standing, his hands looked cold and clammy with sweat.

"Good evening, Mr. Swan," Eric said politely, withdrawing his hand.

"Yorkie," Charlie grunted. "No funny business, right?"

"Uh…" Eric glanced at me awkwardly and I bit my lip, my stomach rolling as I examined the amount of gel he'd managed to cram onto his head. He was wearing a dress suit that was obviously rented and not well fitted, and his skin looked extra oily under the porch light. "No, sir."

"Good." Charlie strode past him and I heard the limo pull up outside. Eric probably could have felt me up in the hallway for all my father cared — he was just going through the motions to actually sound responsible. Like he actually gave a damn.

"You look nice," Eric said awkwardly.

"Thanks," I grunted. "Mom, limo's here!"

Renée walked into the hall, glancing between us. Her forlorn expression had been replaced by a speculative one as she looked between Eric and I. I wondered if I pointed out that Eric would be her son-in-law, would she find me another husband?

"You two are so cute together!" Rosalie announced, brandishing a digital camera as she hurried into the hall. "Come on, I want a picture!"

I reluctantly shuffled closer to Eric. It took a hell of a lot of control not to flinch when he slung his arm around my shoulders, overwhelming me with the scent of his cologne. Jesus. The scent might have been nice, but he had _buckets_ of the stuff on.

I personally thought we looked horrifically awkward together, but Rosalie just squealed and started snapping pictures I knew that she would never print. I faked a smile, smoothed down my dress once more, and endured the smell until Renée finally shoved us out the door, to the limo.

Inside, it was much, much worse. I was forced to sit next to him with his cologne wafting around my head and making me dizzy. Upon Rosalie's insistence, we ended up holding hands. If I wasn't already so wound up about the events of the party — events I was almost one hundred per cent sure would happen — I would have been disgusted by his clammy skin, but my mind was preoccupied.

I hadn't finished the chapter. I _couldn't_. I didn't want to know the outcome of that moment…

When the limo pulled up outside the Cullen mansion, Eric insisted on holding my hand as we walked up the steps. Esme and Carlisle were there to great us, shaking our hands and embracing Rosalie like a long lost daughter. They had accepted her almost immediately into their family and I watched jealously as they fawned over her… she had four parents, and I had what?

"And you must be Isabella?" Esme turned to me, her eyes speculative as she eyed my hand in Eric's. He let go when I reached to shake Esme's hand and I watched as her lips turned down slightly, reacting to the sweat that Eric had left on my hand. I flushed with embarrassment, wanting to die in that moment.

"Yes, ma'am," I said quietly. Esme nodded her head, letting go fairly quickly. Carlisle just nodded his head at me, his lips pursed, and I found myself gaping a little at him.

Esme reminded me of a porcelain doll. She was perfectly groomed, her caramel colored hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders in a very 50's look, and her dress was very prim and neat. Her make-up was pristine and her expression barely gave anything away. But Carlisle… Carlisle reminded me of the sun. His hair was blonder than Rosalie's, beautiful, like sunshine and his face looked like it had been sculpted, his strong jaw and pale blue eyes marking him as a stunning man, even with age.

But even as I admired him, my stomach sank. He was just like the rest of them, despite being so beautiful. He would be arrogant and money-orientated, probably cheating on his wife with someone much younger and easily bought off. Everyone of his caliber was the same.

"Edward's here somewhere," Esme said to Rosalie. "Friends of his arrived an hour ago and he left to show them around." Her eyes darkened as she mentioned his 'friends' and I had a funny, gut feeling that I knew who they were.

Demetri and Heidi.

I would not escape his eyes tonight. Even if I had not finished the chapter, I knew that Demetri's patience would not last long and being in such close proximity to him would spur him into taking action.

At least, that is how I could see his character acting.

When Eric gripped my hand again, he was not the only one sweating. My stomach started to flutter queasily as I began to freak out, abandoning the cool, calm feeling I had managed to cultivate on the ride over. I refused to believe that I was crazy.

Tonight would decide everything; whether it was just coincidence or my life really was unfolding in a book written by Alice Brandon.

"Look, there's Tyler and Ben," Eric said, lifting his hand in the direction of his friends. He pulled me with him as he hurried inside to talk to his friends. Lauren and Angela, a girl I went to school with, were standing with Tyler and Ben, presumably their dates, and I smiled tentatively at both of them as Eric stopped us by their group.

"Hi, Bella," Angela said immediately, her eyes flicking to Eric. I swear her eyes widened in sympathy as she smiled at me then, moving forward to give me an awkward hug. She was the closest thing I had to a friend, though we weren't particularly close. She made school endurable.

"Hi, Angela," I said, offering her a weak smile. "Are you all set for school in two weeks?" The summer was nearly over and we were starting our senior year in high school.

"Yeah, I was just telling Lauren that we'll probably have Mason again for English."

"Sorry, what?" Lauren turned away from Tyler to look at us quizzically. Angela explained what she'd just said and Lauren nodded distractedly.

My neck began to prickle and my stomach tightened automatically in trepidation as I glanced around surreptitiously, seeking out the source of the eyes. But I saw no one.

I could _feel_ him watching me, but I couldn't see him.

Where was Demetri?

Deciding that I probably needed a drink to calm my nerves, I excused myself, using the excuse of a bathroom break to stop Eric from following me. I moved quickly through the crowd, nodding in acknowledgement at people I recognized but not stopping long enough to make conversation. The prickling sensation continued to follow, growing stronger, and my trepidation increased.

I needed to escape before I began hyperventilating and my reactions escalated to full-blown panic. Alice had never written about this part. She had changed perspective after I'd decided to leave Eric for whatever reason and though I'd thought I was safe for another while at least, I was not prepared for _this_.

Thinking quickly, I swerved to the right, walking quickly through the dissipating crowd until I found myself standing at the back of the house. It was one of those really old mansions with servant stairs hidden away from the rest of the house and in my freaked out state, I thought nothing of escaping the crowd and stumbling up the stairs.

When I reached the top, I found myself in a deserted hallway, and, breathing heavily, I leaned back against the wall beside the stairs, out of sight. I closed my eyes, massaging my temples gently as I fought to get a grip on myself. The book was seriously messing with my brain. I silently cursed the day that I'd bought it in the little bookstore in the mall.

I had become a nervous wreck over it.

"Looking for something?"

I gasped, my heart rate accelerating in my chest as I swung around, coming face-to-face with my sister's fiancé. I shouldn't have known who he was, but the description in the book filled in all the blanks, though the words didn't quite capture… him. He was standing in a doorframe, leaning casually against the wood with his arms folded loosely over his chest. He was lean, but not gangly by any means. His white shirt had been rolled up past his elbows to reveal pale, unblemished skin and straining blue veins. My eyes traveled upwards, to his pale, beautiful face. The resemblance to his father was uncanny; he had a strong, chiseled jaw-line and a narrow, aquiline nose. But it was his eyes… his dark green eyes that betrayed how inhuman he had become. They seemed to shimmer with intensity, his stare penetrating through my skin right to the bone and it was like just being in his presence could become addictive.

I was filled with a sudden pang of longing that swiftly overtook any other emotion I felt and my body physically _ached_ to be closer to him. The trepidation drained from my body, the fluttering in my stomach morphing into something darker, more potent than fear.

_This wasn't supposed to happen now. _My fingers curled into fists, holding me back from the urge to reach out to him, to touch his beautiful, artfully tussled bronze hair, which in itself was almost inhumanly perfect. _This wasn't supposed to happen now. I was supposed to be running from Eric, not Demetri._

"Isabella!" I flinched, my eyes flicking toward the stairs as Eric's voice intruded on the silence. "Isabella, are you there?!" He sounded slightly angry, put out that I wasn't answering.

I didn't want him to find me.

My gaze flicked back to Edward and I silently pleaded with him not to give away my presence. His dark, intense eyes held mine, his expression unreadable, until I felt the sudden longing like a punch in my gut, flaring to life.

I had to physically grip the banister of the stairs to prevent myself from moving.

I _wanted_ him.

Everything — my thoughts, my trepidation — disappeared but that one single fact.

He moved and my body reacted, the tension inside my body building as he stepped closer, his eyes focused on me the entire time.

"Isabella!" Eric yelled again, but his voice sounded further away.

My hand tightened around the banister so hard that it my knuckles turned white and my grip was almost painful. My breathing hitched, and then picked up, my whole body reacting to his proximity with that one thought.

I _needed _him.

"Isabella," he murmured, his voice like velvet, soft and muted.

And that one, single word told me everything I needed to know.

**~*~Edward~*~**

I pinched my nose in irritation, trying to drown out the noise downstairs with my iPod earphones, like Heidi had suggested, but it wasn't working.

Nothing worked.

My head pounded with every pang of laughter and every tinkle of champagne flutes and the noise was beyond endurance. It was worse tonight than any other — probably because this phase of my transformation was almost complete.

When I heard footsteps on the servant stairs, I frowned, my head spinning.

_Please God, let it not be Rosalie_.

I snorted almost immediately after I thought of it — Rosalie wouldn't _touch_ the servant stairs. No matter how desperate she was to see me.

Sighing, I lifted myself off my bed, dropping my iPod on the bed. I moved with a silent fluidness that was slightly dizzying; I had yet to get used to the speed at which I moved now, and the quiet. It was unnerving.

I stopped in the doorway, my eyes widening slightly in surprise when I saw the girl standing, her back pressed against the wall, by the stairs.

She was breathing heavily, her slim, pale fingers massaging her temples gently as she frowned, a pucker between her brows. Her distraction allowed me to study her thoroughly, without restraint.

Heidi's aura had become visible to me earlier, tiny wisps of smoke that leaked from her skin and wafted around her like a second skin, but it was _nothing_ like what was radiating from this girl's skin. I was slightly distracted by the vibrant silver tendrils, strong to my eyes, thrumming with the rapid beats of her heart, swirling around her skin and thick with dark emotion. I understood the words that Demetri had once spoken to me — humans rarely saw beauty. When our kind saw an aura, it was the single most beautiful feature a person possessed. And this girl's aura… the fact that she even _possessed_ an aura alarmed me, but the beauty… the beauty surpassed anything I had ever seen. Even in my limited experience, I could tell that it was saturated with shadows and darkness.

She, herself, was the most beautiful mortal that I had ever seen. Her skin was pale, not as pale as the vampires', but pale enough for a human. Shadows seemed to lurk tantalizingly under her skin, ghosting over her pale, painted eyelids. Her royal blue dress clung to her body, so much more developed than it had been in the photograph. She reminded me of a goddess, trapped inside the body of a mortal by a dark curse that swirled around her, wisps of silvery smoke that revealed the true woman within.

"Looking for something?" I asked quietly, attracting her attention.

She gasped, her heart rate accelerating in her chest as she swung around, her eyes flying open. They were dark, wide with shock as her eyes flicked over me slowly, appraising me as I had appraised her, but when they lifted, holding mine, her expression changed.

_Everything_ changed in that single moment.

Her aura surged forward, silver tendrils twirling around my wrists like smoky shackles and slipping around my torso and my legs, almost tangible as they gripped my essence, and it was almost impossible to resist them.

But it was her eyes that broke my control. They were dark and focused on my face with a single surge of longing that equaled the desire resonating deep inside my body. It felt like I was no longer in control of my body; it was more than just simple desire that held both my mind and body in thrall — it was dark, potent…

I registered sluggishly that her fingers had curled into fists, her body seeming to vibrate as she held my gaze, struggling to fight back the urge to move closer.

"Isabella!" She flinched, her eyes flicking toward the stairs and I recognized the voice of Eric Yorkie. With dark satisfaction, I noted how she seemed repulsed by her date, her panicked eyes returning to my face as she silently pleaded with me not to give her away. "Isabella, are you there?!"

I didn't want him to find her.

She had no idea how unnecessary her panic was; as if I would let him touch her. Something inside me, something unresolved, hardened, solidified. It had been hovering for days and I recognized it as the… _predator_ inside me. I was not human in that moment as I stared at Isabella Swan, absorbing the silver tendrils of her aura as they surged around me, urging me forward.

Her hands gripped the banister of the stairs, her panicked eyes blazing with longing and I wanted to tell her to let go, to let the longing take over.

I _wanted _her.

Everything disappeared but that one single fact.

My control collapsed and I stepped forward, my body tensing and my muscles locking as though I were about to _pounce_.

"Isabella!" Eric yelled, but he was leaving, deciding to look elsewhere.

Isabella's hand tightened infinitesimally around the banister, her knuckles turning white and a surge of anger burned through my body. She was holding back from me — I was no longer Edward Cullen, I was all vampire in that moment — and the only thought I could form fully was to possess her, to have _all_ of this shadow girl.

She was _mine_.

Her breathing hitched, and then picked up, her body paralyzed as though she had reached the same conclusion. It wasn't a choice that I was willing to give her.

I _would_ have her.

"Isabella." I breathed her name softly, my voice at odds with the violent strength of the desire that surged through my body.

_Mine_.

My control snapped, completely obliterated, and I was no longer in control of my body.

I flew at her, forcing her back against the wall as I shoved my hand into her hair, fisting my fingers at the back of her skull as I tilted her head back, my eyes focused entirely on her as I dipped my head and pressed my lips to hers.

It felt like a dam had been unleashed. Her aura, brighter and more powerful than before, threaded like a heavy, almost solid curtain around our bodies, tight and heady. She gasped against my mouth and I pried her hand from the banister, shoving it above her head along with her other hand, holding her wrists with one of mine as I stepped even closer, my lips barely moving against hers.

Her soft, pliant body was pressed against mine, the heat radiating from her skin like a second aura and I made a mistake.

I inhaled.

Deeply.

Thirst, fast and potent, ripped through my throat. I physically burned, more than I'd _ever_ burned as her scent infiltrated my senses, tearing through me like a bulldozer.

Her heart thrummed and I heard the blood flow through her veins.

Bloodlust and desire warred and once more, I wasn't in control.

She moved suddenly, her lips firming against mine as she whimpered.

That fucking did me in.

My grip in her hair tightened and I tilted her head back, my tongue sliding along her soft bottom lip until she opened for me and I moaned as I thrust my tongue into the warm, wet crevice of her mouth. She tasted like darkness and shadows, and something so sweet it obliterated everything but the feel of her body pressed against mine.

Her tongue flicked over mine, not tentative like I would have expected and I felt myself grow harder than I'd ever been, the urge to possess her overtaking my bloodlust.

Moving fast, I dropped her wrists and relaxed my grip on her hair. I shoved my hands under her skirt, gripping her thighs in my hands and lifting her effortlessly against me. She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, driving her fingers through my hair and it felt so much better when _she_ did it.

I groaned, grinding my hips into hers and her heart rate became erratic. She panted against my mouth, her breath overwhelmingly sweet, and I pressed my forehead against hers, momentarily dazed.

_Mine_.

My bloodlust suppressed, I found myself moving, shoving open the door of my bedroom, my lips attacking hers once more as I navigated my inside my room.

I fell onto the bed, dropping her in the center of the four-poster bed. She was as mindless as I was, her fingers gripping my shirt as she pulled me over her, dragging me down on top of her.

"Edward," she murmured against my lips and I froze.

_She knew who I was. _

I stared at her for a moment and her lids fluttered, her brown eyes slightly out of focus as she stared up at me, her chest heaving with her short pants. The longing in her eyes, so innocent and yet so powerful, ripped right through me. "Make me forget," she whispered and her aura surged around us, tangling with the grey wisps of my own that I could see, so much more beautiful than anything that I had ever seen.

_She_ was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen.

"Make you forget what?" I asked softly, frowning as dark thoughts flickered in her eyes, beneath the pure, unadulterated longing that blazed in their shadowed depths.

"_Everything_," she said violently. "Please."

The scent of her blood infiltrated my brain, making me dizzy. Everything began to slip in that moment. Nothing made sense, and yet this one, single feeling did.

_Need._

Everything that was wrong tonight ceased to exist. I forgot who I was. I forgot about the rules that Demetri had drilled into my head so many times, I forgot that my fiancé, this girl's sister, was waiting downstairs for me, and I forgot that while I was staring at this beautiful, haunted girl, I was ruining her. I was _killing_ her.

I couldn't explain it to myself — I _wanted_ to addict her to me. I _wanted_ her to want only me. I _wanted_ her to _belong_ to me.

_Mine._

And in the same moment, I wanted to bite her. I wanted a part of her _in_ me. Making me stronger, satisfying my hunger.

"_Please_," she whispered. Her eyes were dark with want and longing, silently pleading with me to give her what she so desperately needed. What we _both_ needed.

I crashed my lips back down on hers, lust for her body momentarily winning my internal battle with my baser desires. Her hands fisted in my hair, pulling me down on top of her until our bodies were pressed completely together and I could feel her breathing against me. Her warmth wrapped around me as tightly as her aura and I got lost in everything that was her; her scent, her warmth, her mouth.

My lips left her mouth, gliding softly over her jaw and down her throat as I pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses along her skin. Her hands fumbled with the buttons on my shirt, soft, impatient noises erupting from her throat until she pulled my shirt open.

The feel of her soft, smooth hands on my skin was unlike any I had ever experienced. I shivered, my skin growing hot as she explored the expanse of my stomach and she began to plant gentle, fervent kisses down my throat.

"Isabella," I whispered, so utterly confused in that moment. She lifted her head, her eyes burning into mine with an intensity that should have disturbed me, but only served to make me want her more, to have _all_ of her.

"Bite me," she said softly.

I froze, teetering on a knife edge. On the one hand, I wanted to do exactly as she asked, but on the other hand… I knew the fact that she had known my name, knew that I _wanted_ to bite her wasn't normal. How could she know who I was? How could this strange, enigmatic girl know?

"_Please_, Edward," she murmured, her hands framing my face. She watched as her thumbs traced my lips, her brow puckered in concentration. And then it didn't matter that she knew, because the thump of her heart rapidly took over my mind and then the smell of her blood flared, dark and potent in my nostrils.

My muscles tightened, my stomach clenching in hunger, and I sought out her neck with mindless thirst, my hands thrusting through her hair as I guided her neck to my lips.

And before I could stop myself, my teeth found purchase in the soft curve between her neck and her shoulder and every nerve within my body melted with heat.

The sweet, honeyed flavor of her blood was incomparable. The hot, burning liquid infused my mouth with the sweetest relief, the feeling of absolute bliss exploding through my system, faster than adrenaline.

She fisted her hand in my hair, holding me to her as a soft, ecstatic sigh escaped her mouth. I could _taste_ the euphoria she was feeling in my mouth. Darkness, shadows and silver were on the tip of my tongue, not quite tangible, but nonetheless there. I could taste everything about her. Her fear, her longing, her desperation.

I couldn't stop. I became addicted to the taste of her blood, my heart pounding with excitement as the taste infiltrated my brain, making me long for more of her perfection.

I never wanted to stop.

"Edward, stop!" Someone's hands grasped my shoulders, stronger than I was, but I couldn't let her go. I couldn't stop drinking from her. Even her blood was unbearably beautiful. "Edward!"

_Heidi_. My sluggish brain recognized her voice, and the seriousness in her tone. Her command didn't make sense, but I knew that it was serious. I knew that there was a reason that I should obey her, but I couldn't remember what it was.

"Stop, Edward!" Heidi repeated, her hands relentlessly strong on my shoulders as she tried to pull me away from the taste of heaven. "Demetri will _kill_ you!"

When Demetri's name broke through the haze, my stomach twisted in understanding and I let go of Bella, my eyes widening in horror as she fell back against my pillows, her pulse shallow and her breathing uneven. Her eyes were shut, her lids barely fluttering as she struggled to remain conscious.

"She's Demetri's," Heidi said quietly, her voice betraying her own horror as it dawned on both of us exactly what I had done.

I had drank from my first human. I had begun the second phase of my transformation.

And if I ever wished to complete the transformation, to become a shadow vampire… I was going to have to kill her.

I was going to have to kill Isabella.

"No," I choked out. "NO!"

"Edward!" Heidi's arms wrapped like steel bars around my chest, pulling me back from the bed. I stumbled onto the floor, my eyes on Bella's pale face. I'd almost killed her already. She was far paler than she had been before, a sick sheen of sweat coating her forehead. Her heart was weak in her chest.

Then the rest of Heidi's words began to seep through the rapidly thinning haze that I'd been wrapped in. Bella's aura swirled, dangerously thin, around her body, wrapping her in a protective sheath.

"What do you mean, 'she's Demetri's'?" I asked hoarsely.

"Demetri wants her, Edward," Heidi said quietly. "He wants to make her his."

The sentence sounded so wrong in my head. I had never disobeyed Demetri over anything, but I couldn't — I _wouldn't_ — let him have Isabella.

_Mine_.

She was lying on _my_ bed, her hair splayed around her head on _my_ pillows, her lips bruised from _my_ kisses and her neck ravaged by _my_ teeth. _I_ had staked _my_ claim on her.

And she wanted _me_.

"_Mine!"_ My voice sounded torn, an inhuman cry.

"No," Heidi whispered. "Edward, he'll kill you."

"Let him," I growled.

_What had I done?_ I had to kill her, but my whole entire being rebelled against the thought. Would I be forever stuck, a half-breed with no chance at all? I would die within years if I didn't continue to drink from her, if I didn't kill her… but I knew that I couldn't.

_What had I done?_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Please review!! :D**


	5. Dreamwalking

**A/N:  
This is a double upload. The next time I upload, it will be a completely new (and unseen) chapter! **

* * *

**~*~****Bella~*~**

The feeling was… peculiar. Like I had suddenly found myself disembodied, only I _was_ in control of a body; a body that just didn't feel like _mine_ anymore. On the inside, I was screaming, while on the outside, I was completely numb, my body like liquid as it sank into the most comfortable mattress I had ever lain on.

"Her… her heart…" An anguished, velvety voice spoke, half—strangled. The sound seemed distant, like I was hearing it from behind a glass wall. If I concentrated, I could hear soft swishing noises in my ears, like I was underwater. But concentrating was exhausting to even think about and I gave up as soon as I started. Something was off, not right, but it was impossible to _feel_ that way. Like the euphoria I'd just been experiencing, an explosion of the most beautiful, warm shivers of happiness in my blood, had somehow not worn off and it was preventing me from feeling anything negative.

"It's getting stronger." Another, higher pitched voice spoke. It was a voice I didn't recognize, but the soothing tones immediately relaxed my tense thoughts. "Listen, Edward."

_Edward…_

Panic-laced thoughts began to pound my head, though they had no impact emotionally.

I had made a mistake.

A _huge_ mistake.

I hadn't read this far, hadn't known that my body would take over itself, closing off my mind to my instinctive reactions… and now… now a wickedly beautiful half-vampire had bitten me. I knew from the book that his bite wasn't venomous, as he had yet to complete his transformation… which he couldn't without _killing me_ first.

What had I done?

_You pleaded with him, _an annoying voice in my head reminded me. _To make you forget. You _begged_ him to bite you…_

In response to my thoughts, my weakened heart began to race and two cold hands suddenly clasped my face, gentle despite the hard texture of skin. This made my heart thump faster, my breath escaping my mouth in a harsh _whooshing _sound and a wave of dizziness washed over me.

"It's okay," the higher-pitched, soothing voice whispered. "You're safe. But you need to calm your heartbeat."

I tried, but it was difficult. Instinctively, my body yearned to obey the soothing voice, but my mind rebelled. I _wasn't_ safe. Edward would have to kill me now, or die himself.

"If she doesn't slow down her heart, she'll go into cardiac arrest!" The velvety voice was back, rough with panic. "She's lost too much blood."

"Isabella," the higher-pitched voice murmured. "Listen to me. You've lost a lot of blood…"

"Look at her aura," the velvety voice suddenly exclaimed.

Confusion surged through my thoughts, overriding my panic for a second. My heart began to slow infinitesimally, before quickening once more as I wondered what the hell _that_ meant.

"But that's —" the high-pitched voice spluttered.

"_Scarlet_," the velvety voice growled in shock. "That can't be right!"

"I've never even seen silver."

"Ouch!"

"What?"

"It's look — the _coils_, they're tangible!" The velvety voice became panicked. "They _burned_ me!"

_No, that can't be right,_ the voice came unbidden in my head, scarily like my own but not quite. I froze, my thoughts separate from the voice. _Edward_, it murmured, almost dreamily.

"Is that —"

"_Green_," the velvety voice said, rough with shock.

"It's the exact color of your eyes."

I was beyond confused, separated from the new emotion coursing through my body. _Contentment_. I had barely registered that thought when the velvety voice let out a startled yelp, followed closely by the high-pitched voice's gasp.

"Is it —"

"It's tangible," the velvety voice said, heavily bewildered. "I can _feel_ it, like silk curling loosely around my wrists. It's… warm. Pleasant, even."

"But I can't feel it," the high-pitched voice announced. "Look, my hand goes right through them."

_Better_, the voice sighed, still completely separate from the rest of my thoughts. Bewildered, I withdrew from the sound, closing in on myself. Was it possible to share my head… with something — else?

_With what?_

The book was doing more than just messing with my head. I was officially going insane. There was no way that this was even remotely normal, even if the existence of vampires and god-knows-what-else was true. People who could hear voices in their head were _mental_.

The thought was distressing and I withdrew from the abnormal voice, backing myself, figuratively speaking, into a closed corner of my mind. I imagined myself standing behind a solid, steel door, locking myself and my thoughts inside.

"They're gone," the velvety voice said softly, thick with incredulity… and disappointment?

I became very aware of my heartbeat in that moment, thumping evenly in my chest, almost like I was asleep.

"Isabella?" The high-pitched voice murmured, closer this time. Cold hands touched my face again but I was ready for them and I wasn't surprised, or distressed.

I felt myself grow more familiar with the tiny twitches of my body, the euphoria of the vampire bite wearing off. I felt more in control now, though weaker than usual.

My eyes fluttered heavily before I forced them open, snapping them shut almost immediately when I registered the bright light above my head.

"Knock off the lights, Edward," the high-pitched voice ordered. I heard the flick of a light switch and I attempted to open my eyes a second time, managing to blink carefully in the semi-darkness.

The first thing I saw was a face. It was one of the most beautiful faces that I had ever seen, framed by dark, mahogany colored hair. Dark, almost black eyes stared into mine, watchful and worried, full lips pursed and a slight crinkle of a frown marred the woman's otherwise smooth forehead.

"Heidi," I breathed almost immediately. I shouldn't have known who she was — her quick inhalation of breath confirmed her incredulity — but it could only be her. She was the only other female vampire in the building that I knew of.

"How do you —?" she started.

"Doesn't matter," I mumbled. I attempted to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over me and I closed my eyes, a soft moan escaping my lips. I felt blind, not knowing what was going to happen next. Why had she urged me to control my heartbeat — was it because if I went into cardiac arrest, Edward would be unable to complete his transformation? Or… was it because of _Demetri_?

"My purse," I exclaimed suddenly, though my voice was weak. "I need —"

"Easy," Heidi murmured, confusion and worry clouding her eyes. "You're probably a little confused right now. You've lost a lot of blood —"

"No," I moaned. "I _need_ my purse…" Where had I left it? Was it still in the limousine? When I tried to think back, my head throbbed painfully and other, more recent memories pounded through my skull.

Edward. Lips. Hands.

Somebody hissed as blood suddenly flooded my face.

"Edward, go and get her purse," Heidi said firmly.

"Eric has it," I remembered.

There was a harsh growl and something moved in my periphery, followed by a door slam.

"Isabella —"

"Bella," I croaked, pushing myself into a sitting position slowly. Heidi helped me, her strong hands gentle on my arms. She propped up the pillows comfortably as I glanced around, drinking in the details of the room in the semi-darkness. It was a very impersonal room — the walls were a dark blue and the bed I was lying on had a navy comforter on top, but nothing else had even the remotest trace of character. There were no pictures on the walls, items on the floor or books strewn about. The only thing on the nightstand was a worn looking photo album.

"Bella," the vampire in front of me said quietly, her expression curious. "Are you okay?"

My lips twisted sarcastically. "Oh, I'm wonderful. You know, besides the fact that I had to spend half the night with a guy who practically _bled_ sweat, endure Demetri's eyes on me allnight and oh, yeah — recover from a _vampire bite_."

Heidi gasped, her face contorting in shock. For a few moments, she was speechless, until she finally forced a word through her lips. "How —?"

"I don't know," I lied. "I just _know_. A _lot_ of things."

Heidi spluttered suspiciously. "Did Edward —"

"No!" I exclaimed, before I could even _think_ of replying. I slapped a hand over my mouth incredulously, realizing that I had not made the decision to even _reply_. Like before with the voice, I had a weird, frightening suspicion that I was sharing my head with something — or someone — else. And now it was speaking _through_ me.

"He did, didn't he?" Heidi insisted.

_TELL THE TRUTH! ANYTHING! _

I recoiled from the voice, physically flinching on the bed. Heidi's eyes widened for a moment, her eyes slightly out of focus, like she was staring at something in front of me, rather than_ at_ me. "Um… what?"

"How are you _doing_ that?"

She yelped suddenly, her hand colliding with something mid-air. Her skin flashed red for a microscopic second before returning to a pale, pearly white. I jumped, my heart rate beginning to pick up once more and I swayed dizzily.

"Doing what?" I asked confusedly.

"Your aura — it's like red strings are extending from your body, and they're burning me."

Ordinarily, I probably would have fainted at this point. I mean, there's only so much supernatural that a girl can take without going completely mental. But apparently, I was already mental if not more, and to be completely honest, I wasn't even _surprised_ that my aura was doing weird shit.

I was more concerned about the voice in my head. The vicious intonation of the disembodied voice had made me flinch more than anything else. It was almost… _protective_… of Edward.

"I'm not making it do that," I said to Heidi with confidence, though I wasn't sure that she would swallow my "disembodied voice" story. I didn't even want to _trust_ her. I didn't know who to trust.

I needed not to be _blind_.

As if answering my question, Edward suddenly walked through the door and my body stiffened. If I had thought that my euphoric state would have lessened the _addictive_ longing that had swiftly shot through my entire body, then I was completely and utterly wrong.

The same dark, delicious want exploded through my body and I sat, paralyzed as Edward walked through the door, his long, slender fingers raking reflexively through his disheveled bronze hair.

His head suddenly snapped up, his eyes startled as they focused with unerring accuracy on my face. "Stop doing that," he growled irritably.

I flinched in surprise, my eyes widening. "I'm not doing…"

He flicked his wrist, like he was trying to dislodge something from his arm, and then dropped my worn purse onto the bed. "Your _date_ is still looking for you," he sneered. "He looks… angry."

I shivered, revulsion, much stronger than it should have been, rolling in waves through my brain as I thought of Eric Yorkie. I had the sense of being separate from my thoughts again, like _I_ wasn't quite the one feeling it, but still feeling it at the same time. It wasn't the same as being disconnected from the voice — because I really _did_ feel the revulsion, just not as strongly as my body felt it.

"Thank you," I murmured quietly, trying to hide my confusion and my incredulity as I reached for my purse.

Heidi was studying… whatever was in front of me… again, her brow pulled into a heavy frown. But I could feel Edward's eyes on _me_, penetrating and unreadable, and it took a hell of a lot of willpower not to lift my head and stare back.

"Edward, did you tell Bella about… _us_?" Heidi asked suddenly.

I glanced up, automatically reacting to the sudden tension in the air. I realized why a second later when Edward's jaw tightened, his eyes blazing with frightening anger. Even Heidi recoiled from the expression on his beautiful face, so much more deadly because of the influence the vampire venom was having on his features. I vaguely recalled reading about how Demetri had been impressed with Edward's anger…

"No," he spat coldly.

"I believe you," Heidi said quickly, though her eyes snapped toward me, wide with fear.

"What —!" I began suddenly, glancing behind me to make sure that there wasn't anything threatening behind me, but I realized what she was afraid of a second later when something, blazing scarlet, flicked across her neck threateningly and she yelped, jumping off the bed.

I froze, startled, until the most beautiful, musical sound filled the air.

_Laughter_.

My eyes flew to Edward, who was staring Heidi's fearful expression, his dark green eyes alive with amusement. My stomach twisted, my breath hitching as I was mesmerized by the perfect music and by the beauty of his face.

The flood of desire, strong and violent, was entirely _me_.

But his laughter was abruptly cut short and his gaze swerved in my direction, his eyes narrowing slightly. "_Stop. That."_

I jumped, snatching my purse to my chest in surprise and he made another flicking motion with his wrist.

_Oh_. I realized that my aura was doing something freaky again.

When I glanced at Heidi, I felt two very separate things simultaneously. Well, _I_ felt confusion and surprise, while my _body_ felt a surge of hatred. My muscles tensed, as though I was waiting for the vampire to attack me.

And even without the voice in my head, I _knew_ why my body was reacting that way. Heidi had angered Edward and for some reason, my body was now tied in some weird emotional way to Edward's expressions.

_This was not good_. The book had not described how Heidi had felt when Edward had kissed her (this thought suddenly made me feel nauseous, if a little jealous), so I had no idea how being addicted to Edward was supposed to feel. Could it explain the voice in my head? The emotions that I didn't _really_ feel?

Was I mildly addicted to Edward?

I obviously wasn't _completely_ addicted to him — we hadn't done anything but kiss… but what if we _had_ done more? Would I be less in control of my body? Would the voice be stronger?

Utterly confused, I did the only thing I could: I grabbed the book from my purse. When my shaking fingers flipped through the pages, the book fell open on the page that I had stopped on of its own accord. I could feel Heidi and Edward's incredulous stares on my face but I ignored them, skimming through the chapter in front of me.

Somehow, I still managed to absorb every word despite the efforts I made to skim. A peculiar, heated emotion settled in the pit of my stomach as I read through what had just transpired before Heidi's interruption and I felt my cheeks flame.

I glanced up when I heard a strangled growl, shock infiltrating my stomach when I saw Heidi lunge at Edward, pulling him back against his bedroom door. His eyes were trained on me, though they were more inhuman than I had ever seen them.

They were _hungry_.

"It's your blush," Heidi said by way of explanation, grimacing when Edward shoved her off, his eyes calming somewhat. I paled, realizing that Edward had been reacting to the blood that had flooded my face.

And my heart started to beat a little faster in distress as I remembered that Edward would have to kill me now. There was nothing to stop him. He would _need_ to kill me, in order to live himself.

Fighting to remain calm, I returned to the book.

Things started… to make sense, a little. It was still focused on Edward's point of view, detailing how wisps of glowing, crimson tendrils had extended toward Edward, burning him the first time while he looked at Heidi in confusion. Hearing Edward's incredulity over how the tendrils had burnt him, the tendrils began to shimmer, the glow dying into a dark, exquisitely beautiful green color, and the tendrils began to extend more slowly, thickly, toward Edward, curling around his wrists and snaking toward his neck almost… _lovingly_.

My head snapped up suddenly. "Demetri's coming."

They stared at me, both expressions frozen in astonishment and suspicion, but I didn't have time to explain because at that moment, a distinct set of footsteps began to ascend the stairs.

Edward suddenly went rigid, his gaze fixed on me. Heidi's head snapped in his direction, sensing the sudden shift in his demeanor and she gripped Edward's forearm, her voice low when she spoke. "Don't, Edward. I'll get her back to the party."

"He wants to speak with you, Edward," I said abruptly, freezing when I realized my voice mimicked the words in the book exactly. I hadn't intended to speak them, though the urge to say them was completely different to how the "other voice" had jumped readily to Edward's defense when Heidi had accused him of breaking one of the vampire rules — telling me of their existence. No, this felt like two rigid walls prevented me from deviating from the path in front of me or turning around. I had no choice but to repeat the words, like I'd had no choice but to cry myself to sleep the night before.

Edward's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he couldn't deny that I _knew_ things. I knew what was happening even before his eyes flashed with annoyance and I willed myself to suppress the undercurrent of desire that threatened to flare up dangerously. Edward watched something — my _aura_ — retract back into my body, his jaw locked.

Heidi stepped closer to the bed, watching what I presumed was my invisible aura carefully, and held out her hand. I took it immediately, knowing that she wouldn't hurt me with certainty, having read the next couple of pages. She pulled me onto my feet and I swayed dizzily, clutching my head. Heidi slipped her cold arm over my shoulders and supported me as we walked out into the hall.

The person coming up the stairs was not Demetri, I knew. Demetri _was_ coming, though not for another minute or two.

Heidi led me toward the main staircase, guiding me toward a downstairs bathroom where I could recover some semblance of my composure — enough to get me inside to make my excuses. I would barely be able to stand on my own for more than thirty minutes, and I did _not_ want to have to rely on Eric for support.

"That wasn't Demetri on the stairs," Heidi said abruptly as she closed the bathroom door behind us. It was extremely roomy inside; I could probably have fit my room inside the shower. It was all cream and peach colored and exactly what a rich person's bathroom looked like. There was even a loveseat by the sink.

I sat down carefully, clutching my aching head. "I know. Demetri should be leaving the ballroom in a few seconds."

Heidi frowned, closing her eyes as she listened to the empty hallway outside. Sure enough, a couple of seconds later, quiet footsteps echoed through the hall.

When he was gone, Heidi's eyes were wide with curiosity. "How —?"

I shook my head, wincing when the movement made my head throb painfully. "I don't know. There is a lot that I don't understand at the moment, but I _can_ tell you this: I am _not_ Demetri's."

Heidi's face was torn, her expression pained. "Edward…"

"That didn't matter," I said firmly. "I'm not Demetri's, and I'm not Edward's."

_Liar_.

Knowing that the book had not documented this conversation made me bold — it made me want to disobey, even if it was only denying the path that the book seemed to have laid out for me.

I wanted to be my own person. I didn't want to lose control like this.

"What _are_ you?" Heidi demanded.

I looked up at her, her question reverberating inside my head. "Confused," I answered honestly.

**~*~Demetri~*~**

An hour into the Cullens' ball, and I wasn't sure whether I didn't want to massacre the entire room or not, as Heidi had joked we would. Conversation was monotonous — at least, other conversations were. People generally gave Heidi and myself a wide berth, seeing as they didn't know us and we instilled a natural wariness in people close by.

But they stared. Heidi was the most beautiful woman in the room and every other girl was green with jealousy as they eyed my date in her flawless emerald dress and glittering diamonds. The men wanted her and the taste of their longing in the air, coupled with the women's jealousy, was delicious food. I could feel the pulse of emotions strengthening my aura, expanding the webbed tendrils into thick, black, almost solid walls around my body until my aura was drained by my coven. My food was their food.

Edward had given us a brief tour of his house, but I didn't like it. It was too clean, too bright. It made me long for the dark coldness of the basement under _Trix_, and I could feel that Heidi felt the same. He left afterwards to mingle with his guests and then disappeared after awhile, leaving Heidi and I to scope out possible additions to our coven.

And to wait for _her_.

I could not deny that my tedium resulted from the fact that she had yet to show. My eyes scanned the room several times a minute, hoping for a glimpse of pale, creamy skin and silvery tendrils, but it was a long time before I finally saw her sister, Rosalie Swan, walk through the front door, accompanied by her mother and father.

Her sister looked flawless for a human, though nothing compared to Heidi. I felt Heidi's amusement as Rosalie greeted her future in-laws before making her way into the room, her eyes immediately falling on my date. No, Rosalie was not the most beautiful creature at the ball and by the angry, jealous splotches of red on her face, she knew it, too.

But as much as I enjoyed her jealous anger, my eyes were drawn to the girl who walked in behind her.

_My_ girl.

Unlike her sister, her face was not caked in make-up, nor were there any remarkable changes to her everyday appearance, but she was… breathtaking. Her hair fell in loose waves that gently curled at the ends, and she was wearing a badly fitted royal blue dress that clung too tightly to her waist, but she surpassed her sister in many, many ways. Her silvery aura curled around her protectively, shimmering slightly in the lights, and for the first time, I noticed the hand wrapped around hers.

Violent, disturbing anger erupted in the pit of my stomach as the greasy-haired bastard guided Isabella away from the door, the lust and pride rolling off him in waves. Without further thought, I started forward, intending on ripping his arm from his socket, but Heidi placed a warning hand on my arm, her eyes narrowing.

"Demetri, don't," she said warningly.

"She is _mine_," I growled possessively, my eyes glued to the girl, my muscles tightening in anticipation of the fight I would win for her.

"Do you not see her reluctance?" Heidi insisted, pulling me back to her. "That human does _not_ stand in your way, Demetri." We were speaking quietly, in fast, hushed tones, but people around us were staring at us curiously, trying to decipher what we were saying. I ripped my arm from Heidi's, glaring at her warningly, but I didn't charge over there and rip the boy apart like I wished to.

Isabella disengaged herself, wandering through the crowd. I watched her leave, impulsively moving to follow her, but Heidi stopped me once more.

"I am your _prince!_" I hissed angrily.

"Forgive me," Heidi sighed, lowering her eyes. "I'm just looking out for you, my lo—prince."

I waited, my gut tightening when I saw the boy follow Isabella in the direction she left. Had she wanted him to follow? Were they retreating upstairs together? My hands closed into fists as I followed his progress.

"I'll go," Heidi said. She turned and walked fluidly through the crowd, ignoring any attempts to engage her in conversation. I stood, brooding in the corner, while I waited for her return. I trusted her to prevent that slime ball from getting his hands on my girl, but that didn't make it any easier not to leave myself. The urge to claim what was mine was a strong impulse.

"Was that your date?"

I turned, faintly surprised, as Rosalie Swan stopped in front of me, anger hovering in the dark of her eyes. I could taste it, though she showed no outward signs of the jealousy that lurked inside her. If a girl like her had not developed an aura, how deep and strong were the emotions of her sister, that Isabella had her own? Something told me that I'd barely touched the surface of Isabella's emotions, and I longed to dream-walk inside her head, to absorb them all.

"Yes," I said coldly. Edward's hatred of this human seemed justified. It was difficult not to sense the selfishness that leaked from her body. I would not want her as a member of my coven, even if Edward wished it so.

"Well?" Rosalie prompted, twirling a strand of her blonde hair around her finger. "Who is she?"

My lip curled in distaste, though my voice remained polite, if a little colder. "Her name is Heidi. She is a _very_ close friend of Edward's, and of mine."

Rosalie froze, as I had known she would, and the jealous anger seemed to strengthen. I had implied that my date was a lover of Edward's, which would not go down well with his bride-to-be.

"Excuse me?" she demanded.

She was too predictable. She was obviously trying to control her expression, but the anger bubbling under the surface was only growing stronger.

"She is a close friend of Edward's," I repeatedly, more innocently this time.

"Well, I would kindly like you and your _date_ to leave," Rosalie said frostily, her jaw locked. "I do not wish to cause a scene, but I think it… _prudent_… if you go. Actually, I would prefer it if you would leave my _fiancé's_ life altogether."

I almost laughed at her. How naïve she was — she had no idea that Edward had absolutely no inclination of choosing _her_ over a life of immortality in my coven. Instead, barely masking my sarcasm, I said, "I assure you, Miss Swan, that both of us are here to congratulate Edward only and wish him well with his lovely bride. I can tell he will be _very_ happy in the future."

Rosalie paused and I could see her brain working furiously, trying to work out if I was insulting her or not. When she beamed, I realized that she had not heard the sarcastic undertones of my voice, and she became _much_ warmer. She was so selfish that just the mere mention of how "lovely" I found her made everything seem so much better. "You haven't seen him, have you? Carlisle is giving a little speech in a few minutes, but he can't do it without Edward here…" She trailed off, frowning a little.

"I'll help you find him, shall I?" I suggested. I needed to go after Heidi — she should have been back now, the corpse of that greasy-haired boy in hand.

"Would you?" Rosalie flashed him a bright, disarming smile that had no sway over him at all. "Thanks so much."

I smiled thinly before striding past her, rolling my eyes. I'd have to ask the others to cool it with the fiancé jokes around Edward — if he actually made it down the aisle, he'd be the first suicidal Shadow Vampire in the history of the world.

I slipped away from the party and up the stairs, wrinkling my nose at the whole pretentious design of the house. I hated this rich world, but it was necessary to delve into it now and again. Once Edward's transformation was complete, I wasn't going to any of these parties for more than a century.

I went straight to Edward's room, passing a startled looking girl who was more than a little tipsy. She muttered something about looking for a bathroom but I just ignored her, knocking once on Edward's door before opening it, walking inside without a moment's hesitation.

Edward was sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows propped up on his knees and his hands shoved through his disheveled hair as he stared at the wall, his expression one of frustration. The first few buttons on his shirt were undone, his tie was on the bed and his skin was flushed.

I glanced back out the door, at the girl looking for a bathroom, and chuckled.

"Edward, you naughty boy," I grinned.

Edward jumped, his brow pulling together when he realized that I was standing there. I frowned, pursing my lips.

"You should have heard me coming," I said.

"I'm concentrating on drowning out the noise," Edward said tonelessly, his eyes focused unerringly on the wall. "It gives me a headache."

"It will get better," I said dismissively. "But right now, you have to stop hiding. Your _fiancé_ is waiting and she isn't happy about Heidi's presence. This _is_ your party, Edward."

Edward's fingers tightened into fists in his hair. "I want to kill her."

"Who — Rosalie?" I chuckled. "I don't say I blame you. She's… a piece of work."

"You don't understand," Edward said abruptly. "It was different before. I _hated_ her, but this… it's like I can't control the urge to just — _mutilate_ her."

I grinned, my teeth flashing violently in the dim light. I felt a surge of pride as I regarded my protégé — he was one of the most promising vampires that I had created in a long time. His vampiric instincts were already taking precedence over his mortal impulses. Where Rosalie had been a selfish person before, she was just _meat_ now.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I said wistfully. "How on the edge of control you feel? It's different at my age — I have complete control over my urges — but to feel reckless, out-of-control… I miss it."

"No," Edward spat. "_Control_ — I _need_ it."

"And you will have it," I assured him. "It just takes practice. But you have the right attitude."

"I'll kill her before I master control," Edward muttered.

It was all I could do not to say, "I hope you do." Before I could open my mouth, however, Edward was on his feet, rearranging his clothes into a more respectable appearance.

"Let's get this over with," he growled.

There was more than just reluctance in him; his graying aura was almost black. But I didn't press for details — I had my own worries to deal with. I think we both needed to get downstairs and attempt not to kill anyone tonight.

**~*~Edward~*~**

I followed Demetri downstairs, unable to suppress the surge of resentment that forced its way to the surface. That he could even _think_ to lay claim on Isabella was enough to send my anger spiraling out of control. She already knew too much. Demetri would either kill her or keep her for himself and I knew that I couldn't let him do either.

I _should_ kill her, knowing that I may never be able to complete my transformation — I had even considered it while Heidi held me back from her, while she fought to keep her heart beating on my bed — but my entire _being_ firmly rejected that thought from the moment those long, glowing tendrils of scarlet fire extended from her aura.

While she was unconscious, it seemed her aura spoke _for_ her. The thin, glowing tendrils had clearly been a warning, and after the first incident, they seemed almost… _protective_… of me. They had lashed out at Heidi after she had questioned my loyalty to Demetri in breaking one of our rules.

But the thick, dark green coils that had extended with unerring accuracy toward me, wrapping slowly and gently around my wrists had been… surprising. They radiated a soft warmth, tangible yet still smoky in appearance. It had been a _pleasant_ feeling but almost constricting in its weight, like the emotion behind it was too heavy for me to handle.

And she didn't even know that she was doing it.

I was in over my head when it came to this girl. She _knew_ things — things that she couldn't possibly know about us. Our names. What we were. The _future_.

But it all came down to nothing when she blushed, blood rushing to her cheeks, because in _that_ moment, she was no longer human. Even with the swirling silvery darkness of her aura weaving like a ghostly curtain around her body, there was something so basically… _delicious_… about her when she blushed. And in those moments, it would be all too easy to kill her.

Who _was_ she?

I strode into the ballroom, swallowing my emotions as I pasted a friendly smile on my face, walking over to my mother.

"Where have you been?" she hissed under her breath, glancing around to make sure that no-one had heard her.

"Freshening up," I replied calmly, glancing around. "Where is Rosalie?"

As if my thoughts had conjured her, the tall blond appeared beside one of my college friends, her smile slightly strained as she greeted his date. She was definitely one of the most beautiful women in the room. She was wearing a flowing red gown that accentuated her narrow waist and curvy figure. Her jewelry glittered faintly under the lights and her high-pitched, refined voice was louder than most to my ears.

But all I felt was bitter resentment and hatred when I stared at her. I hadn't been lying to Demetri when I had told him that all I wanted to do was mutilate her. Everything was wrong with her. She was blond where she should have been dark, her brown eyes depthless where they should have been deep. Light where she should have been shadowed.

As if sensing my gaze, Rosalie glanced up, her full lips curving into a seductive smile when she realized that I was staring at her. She excused herself, gliding in my direction.

"Edward, I was wondering where you were…" she said, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger. She laid her other hand on my forearm, smiling beatifically at everyone standing within a three-meter radius. Her hand tightened warningly on my arm and I reluctantly slipped it around her waist, becoming the picture perfect groom-to-be.

"You look beautiful," I muttered, leaning down to kiss her cheek. I could taste the foundation on her skin and I resisted the urge to cringe. It seemed like blasphemy to tell her that she looked beautiful when in comparison to her sister, she was merely plain. There was nothing interesting or alluring about her.

Rosalie nodded, glancing around the ballroom. "Come meet my mother. I know you've met Daddy…"

I allowed her to lead me in the direction of her parents, my eyes sweeping the room as I sought out Demetri. His eyes were trained unblinkingly on the door, a slight pucker between his brows. My fingers itched to tighten into fists as I realized that he was waiting for Isabella to make an appearance.

"Mom, this is Edward," Rosalie announced, tugging on my arm. I smiled at the woman in front of me, but the surge of hatred I felt toward Rosalie was nothing compared to the burning distaste I felt as I lifted the woman's small hand to my lips, brushing her knuckles politely before dropped her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Swan," I said. "You look radiant tonight."

There was nothing of Isabella in her. Her hair was a rich, honey-blond, obviously dyed and her make-up was a tad overdone. Her perfume was stifling to my new heightened senses and her dark eyes were depthless. It was obvious that _she_ was the reason that Rosalie was so selfish.

She giggled, her hand over her heart as she glanced slyly in her daughter's direction. The pride in her gaze was overwhelming. "Thank you, Edward. I must say, your mother has a beautiful home here."

"She designed a lot of it herself," I told her, pasting a fond smile on my face. It was weird how easy it was to fake human emotions that I didn't feel when I was as close to inhuman as you could get without actually being an immortal vampire. The hum of my recent feed thrummed in my veins, making me feel stronger than I had in days, my headache slipping away as I adjusted to my blood intake.

"I must ask her to design our living room. We had been thinking about getting it redone…" Her voice trailed off at the same time that I felt a weird, constricting feeling curl around my wrists. I glanced down, expecting to see thick, dark green ropes, winding like vines around my arms but there wasn't even translucent smoke hovering against my skin.

The tugging sensation felt like a memory. I glanced over my shoulder, my eyes narrowing when Eric Yorkie walked into the ballroom, his hand placed firmly on Isabella's arm like a restraint. There was a flicker of anger in his eyes, but otherwise he looked satisfied at having her with him.

Isabella… she looked exhausted. The violent, scarlet tendrils of her aura were gone, but there was a hint of murky brown weaving between the shimmering silver that wrapped protectively around her slender body, closing around her like a second skin. Her lips were pursed, her posture rigid as she allowed Eric to guide her into the room, but she seemed to be relying heavily on him for support.

Guilt and fury warred for dominance in my head as I watched her slip further away from me, toward Eric and his loser friends. If I hadn't exhausted her so, she would not _need_ him…

"There's _Isabella_ now," Rosalie exclaimed. "Edward, you must meet my sister."

"Yes," Renée insisted, turning to her husband with her brow raised. Charlie nodded once, striding away in the direction of Eric's group of friends, his brow creased in a heavy frown. I had never once seen the man smile.

"Isabella is still at school," Renée informed me. Her voice sounded foreign when she pronounced her daughter's name, like she wasn't used to saying it to other people. It took me a second to process what she had said. _Still in school?_ I glanced surreptitiously in Isabella's direction, trying to judge how old she looked, but it was difficult to be accurate. There was something about her that was beautifully innocent, but the darkness and shadows that closed around her made her seem older, almost timeless. "We decided not to send her to private school like Rosalie, so she goes to the public school nearby — we wanted to keep her close to home. She gets horribly homesick."

"She recently started dating Eric Yorkie," Rosalie added, smiling happily. "They make the cutest couple, don't you think?"

I grunted, hoping that it sounded like I was somewhat in agreement with her assessment. I was finding it _very_ difficult to fake my emotions when it came to the subject of Isabella with another man.

Charlie began his walk back, followed closely by Eric and his youngest daughter. Isabella's eyes were focused on the ground, her face ashen, and I felt a rush of concern and annoyance at everyone else that they were neglecting to notice how sickly she looked.

"Cullen." Eric nodded his head curtly at me, his hand tightening infinitesimally around Isabella possessively.

"Yorkie," I answered, my lips tilting into a challenging smirk that everyone else missed.

"Edward, this is my sister, Isabella," Rosalie announced unnecessarily.

"_Bella_," she muttered resentfully, too low for anyone but me to hear. Her eyes were vacant when they flickered up to meet mine, but when she realized that I was staring at her, it was like a slow-burning fire ignited. Dark green tendrils snaked through the shimmering silver of her aura, but before they could make contact with my skin, they seemed to fold in on themselves as her jaw locked.

Knowing that everybody was staring at us, I took her cool hand in mine, lifting it to my lips. I lingered a second longer than I probably should have, inhaling the scent of her skin. "It's a pleasure to meet you," I murmured.

"The pleasure's all mine," she replied mechanically. There was something closed about her, like she had withdrawn into herself.

Rosalie began to talk, most likely about herself, but I kept a close eye on Isabella — _Bella_. She looked worse than she had before. She was more than just physically exhausted, but what angered me was that no-one else seemed to notice. Even the smoky wisps of her aura seemed less vibrant, becoming more translucent as the seconds wore on.

Eric pressed a champagne flute into her hand when Carlisle took to the stage. Rosalie squeezed closer to me, beaming radiantly at our guests as Carlisle recited his speech, but I heard none of it.

Seconds toward the end, Bella's face turned completely grey and before the glass had even slipped from her hand, I had caught her, my arms sliding around her frail body before she had a chance to hit the ground.

"Bella!" Eric exclaimed in surprise.

I could hear Bella's heart pounding weakly in her chest and I began to panic when the silver streaks of her aura began to falter, closing in around her and darkening into a cold, pallid grey.

"She's fainted," I said, moving her gently into my arms. She was completely limp, her breathing uneven, but nobody around us seemed… _worried_. Eric looked a little embarrassed, as did her parents, and Rosalie just looked _angry_.

And I wanted to massacre the whole fucking lot of them for not caring.

What if she had died?

"We should probably take her home," Renée sighed, her expression tight-lipped. "The limo is outside…"

"Here, I'll take her," Eric said to me.

I scowled at him, knowing that there was no way he could manage to carry her outside, despite how light she felt. There wasn't an ounce of muscle on his body. Instead, I ignored his request, gesturing for Charlie to lead the way out of the house.

Eric's face contorted in fury but nobody seemed to notice him as Charlie began his "embarrassing" explanations as they left the room.

"She's probably been starving herself," Rosalie muttered to her mother. "I can't believe she'd do this to us…"

"She knew how important tonight was to you," Renée agreed. "And to think that she broke one of Esme's $1000 glasses!"

"I won't be able to show my face at Lauren's for _weeks_," Rosalie wailed under her breath.

I gritted my teeth, attempting to tune out the selfish voices of my future in-laws. I concentrated on the weak beat of Bella's heart. She felt too light in my arms; I wasn't used to the extra strength that I had acquired and her frail weight felt unfamiliar. Her aura began to turn steadily silver once more, wrapping around her body like a frail, protective cloud. But it didn't try to separate me from her, like it had from Eric. Instead, it seemed to swirl over my arms and my chest, a hint of dark green smoke brushing softly against the exposed skin at my throat.

It felt cold and clammy, like her skin, but very, very tangible.

It was uncomfortable, how familiar it felt, but I didn't feel annoyed this time.

Just worried.

Charlie led me outside to one of the limousines parked along the road outside. He flung open the door, gesturing for me to "throw" her in.

It took a lot of effort not to glare at him. I was reluctant to let her go, but I knew that I had to. There was no way that I would be allowed to bring her home and make sure that she was alright.

I would have to trust Demetri to do so tonight when he left to watch her.

It was horrible, the tumult of resentment and worry I was feeling. I didn't want Demetri to have her. I _couldn't_ let Demetri have her. She was _mine_. But I needed him to watch her tonight.

I needed to know that she was safe.

I laid her down across the backseat, hesitating slightly before brushing my lips across her pale forehead. Her body never moved, but frail green tendrils followed my movements as I stepped away from the car.

I kissed Rosalie quickly on the cheek in goodbye, as well as her mother and waited politely for them all to climb into the car.

When the driver closed their door, I stopped him, pressing a couple of hundred dollars into his palm. "Make sure she gets up to her room okay," I said coldly.

The driver's eyes widened in surprise, then understanding. "I assure you, Mr. Cullen, the staff at Swan manor are _extremely_ careful with Miss Bella's comfort." He pressed the money back into my palm, nodding once.

His assurance was the only reason that I could stand to let them drive away.

**~*~Demetri~*~**

The window was open when I stepped onto the balcony, the curtains swishing softly in the gentle wind. I climbed through the window soundlessly, glancing around the dark room.

Moonlight from the window fell on the girl lying on the bed, casting a pale glow on her flawless, white skin. Her breathing was even, her heartbeat stronger than it had been before she had fainted. Her aura was weak, hovering like a silver cloud around her body, little protection against the danger she was possibly in.

I slipped closer to the bed, leaning over her sleeping form. Her dark hair was splayed out over her pillow and I gave in to the urge to run my fingers through the thick strands. It felt like silk and water on my cold fingers. Her aura swirled around me, interrupting my vision, like it was trying to push me away.

Subconsciously, she could sense my presence. I wanted to show her that there was nothing to fear from me, that I did not wish her harm. She would be a beautiful princess to our people, if she proved strong enough.

I dipped my head, pressing my lips to her gently pouting mouth, and I felt the familiar rush of a soul's _essence_ as my aura surged against hers, forging a link between our minds.

I closed my eyes and when I opened them, I was standing on a deserted bridge in the middle of the night. The air was bitterly cold and flakes of snow glittered in the air, falling soundlessly on the ground. The quiet flow of the river below the bridge was the only sound in the dark night and the water gleamed in the moonlight, more beautiful than any other image I had seen.

The detail of this place was more intricate and vivid than any other dream I had ever visited. The snow reminded me of her aura, frail but beautiful and glittering silver.

I blinked and she appeared, several meters away. She was standing on the brick wall of the bridge barefoot, her skin completely white in the moonlight. She was wearing the same dress that she had worn earlier that evening, but it fit better, molding to her figure like a second skin. She did not shiver in the freezing air and snow clung to her dark, flowing hair as she stared down at the river below her, exhaling clouds of smoke from her mouth.

"You're dream-walking, aren't you?" she said softly, her eyes never leaving the river. "I'm not really dreaming of you."

I froze incredulously but she didn't seem to notice. I stared at her curiously, wondering how she even knew who I was. I concentrated on her face, waiting for the words to come, for her thoughts to materialize in front of her, but they never did. I realized that I was just barely skimming the edges of her subconscious and that she had buried a lot from herself as well as me.

Concentrating, I focused my mind on her thoughts, compelling them into being. The image of the bridge rippled, Rosalie's pale face materializing on the bridge, her lips turned down in a frown as she spoke.

"_How could you embarrass me like that? Edward had to —"_

The image was abruptly snuffed out, though the girl on the bridge barely noticed. Frowning in confusion, I tried to conjure up the same thought but I was met with a heavy wall inside my own head.

_Go away_, a voice whispered petulantly. It sounded familiar, like the low, clear tones of the girl in front of me… but different.

"You _are_ dreaming of me," I said quietly. "I am inside your dream."

"Oh." The girl on the bridge did not turn.

"Where are we?" I asked curiously.

"A corner of my subconscious," she murmured, a hint of a smile on her lips. "It's beautiful here, isn't it? _She_ created it."

"She?"

I frowned in confusion. I had been dream-walking for centuries, but I had never been inside a dream quite like this. No one had ever expected me to appear, had never known who I was without previous introductions. And there was definitely nobody else controlling the dream but the dreamer or myself.

"I don't know who she is," Isabella admitted. "But she wants you to go away."

"She is blocking your thoughts," I surmised with a heavy, confused frown.

Isabella looked startled. "You can read my thoughts?"

"I can conjure them up in your dreams," I explained. I concentrated once more, dragging an elusive image to the surface of her mind. An image of Rosalie and Isabella on a swing rippled before my eyes and the bridge dissolved. I blinked and the bridge disappeared altogether.

Isabella, still standing in her dark blue gown, found herself hovering beside a newly built fence. A much younger version of herself stood, watching her older sister as she kicked off the ground, setting the swing in motion.

"_Is it my turn yet?" _Isabella asked, her eyes pleading.

Rosalie looked at her sister dismissively. "_No. Go ask Zafrina what's for dinner."_

"_But you said that I…" _Isabella trailed off, her bottom lip trembling. I gasped in surprise when a thin, elusive black puff of smoke extended from her skin, quivering weakly in the air before it disappeared.

_The beginning of Isabella's aura._

"How did you do that?" The older Isabella demanded, her hands gripping the fence as she stared at me, her eyes incredulous. "I saw —"

"Your aura?" I asked. "You see what I see when I conjure up a memory or a thought. You see it as it _truly_ was."

"What — what does it look like… _now_?" she asked nervously.

I focused my mind on accessing hers, but there was already a memory waiting to float to the surface, like she had chosen one specifically. I glanced at her warily, but she was staring at me expectantly and I tugged the memory forward. It began as a grainy image until I blinked and the swing dissolved.

A new, clearer memory flourished before our eyes and I found myself standing in the dressing room of a clothing store. Rosalie was standing in front of one of the mirrors, eyeing herself critically as she smoothed down the bodice of her red gown.

"_What do you think?" _Rosalie's brow arched quizzically as she focused on another person through the mirror.

"_It's fabulous!"_ Another girl trilled, but Rosalie dismissed her assessment. I glanced behind me, my eyes widening a little when I saw the real Isabella crouch down beside the memory Isabella, her eyes flicking over herself with fascination. Pretty, silver strands floated elegantly in the air, swirling in slow circles around her oblivious body. The silvery wisps of smoke extended from her skin like wings, frail and delicate, reflecting her calm demeanor.

"_Bella?"_

Memory Isabella sighed. _"It's beautiful, Rose,"_ she said quietly. Her lips curved into a small smile, dark thoughts lurking in her eyes.

The third girl squealed, clapping her hands. _"Are you going to buy it?! It would be perfect for the ball that the Cullens are hosting on Saturday!"_

"_I know." _Rosalie's smile widened, but as she went to speak, Real Isabella jumped suddenly, reacting to the sudden spike of resentment in Memory Isabella's aura. The wisps became more pointed, focused.

The memory itself began to blur, Rosalie's voice becoming strangled, her words indecipherable. Real Isabella looked at me in confusion and I blinked, stumbling a little when I found myself back on the bridge, the ground unsteady beneath my feet.

_Go away! _It was the voice from before, it's tone more vicious.

Instead, I conjured up one of my _own_ memories. The bridge melted before us, dissolving until in one, quick blink, the basement under _Trix_ materialized in front of us. It was not a memory, but a corner from _my_ subconscious that I had brought her to.

I sat down on one of the mismatched sofas, allowing my aura to become more visible. It was almost completely black, dark, thick tendrils that weaved in jagged spirals around my body, extending three feet away and dissolving into soft, navy wisps.

Isabella's eyes widened and she froze by the stairs, her eyes focused on the aura that swirled around my body.

"Is that yours?" she whispered.

I nodded once.

"Is it… Can I touch it?"

"No. Auras are always intangible."

She bit her lip, looking like she wanted to disagree with me, but then thought the better of it.

"Sit." I gestured to the sofa opposite me and she slipped forward, lowering herself onto the sofa. She sat uncomfortably still, her eyes flickering around the room before returning to me.

"Is this one of your memories?"

"No." I shook my head. "This is like your bridge. A corner of _my_ subconscious."

"Oh." Isabella shifted nervously. "She can't get in here, can she?"

"The one who created the bridge?"

Isabella nodded.

"No. But neither can I access your memories. _You_ are currently inside _my_ head."

"Then I could read _your_ thoughts?" Isabella asked.

I smiled faintly. "No, you couldn't. You do not have the ability to dream-walk. I do, however, have the ability to keep you here, forever asleep."

Isabella began to panic, her eyes widening. Keeping her here was almost irresistible — I _could_, if I wanted to. I could keep her here, all to myself.

_Mine_.

But even as I thought that word, Isabella's body began to tremor, her image becoming grainy like a vision from an old memory.

_You are wrong, vampire_, the voice spoke viciously and when I blinked, I was no longer in the basement or on the bridge with Isabella. My eyes were squeezed tightly shut and when I forced them open, I realized that I was hovering over Isabella's sleeping body, my lips still pressed against hers.

I realized that she had just forced me out of her head and severed the connection. I had been wrong about the voice not being able to follow her inside my head.

Unless the voice was another part of _her_, intricately woven into her subconscious as well as the essence of Isabella _herself_.

But she had let me visit other memories. Memories of Isabella and her sister.

Why had I been forced out of other memories entirely?

I stood up, brushing Isabella's hair back from her face. She sighed softly in her sleep, her aura closing over her once more. But there was something new, hovering like a protective shadow. Something that hadn't been there any other night that I had visited.

Sharp, scarlet threads, glittering faintly in the moonlight. When I delved my hand into her aura, I felt nothing, as I was supposed to. But as my fingers edged closer to the scarlet threads, one snaked out, snapping across my wrist and I winced, snatching my hand back as a flash, burning sensation ripped through my wrist.

The threads were _tangible_.

Utterly confused, I stepped away from the bed, toward the balcony. I jumped lithely from the window to the tree opposite, settling onto my usual perch where I could spy on Isabella the entire night.

But this time, as I watched and plotted, I had the sudden sense that I _knew_.

Isabella would be the perfect princess, if not _queen_ of my coven. The Shadow Queen. To have such power, to be able to resist the Shadow Prince… she was truly something dangerously beautiful.

And she would be _mine._

**

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A/N:  
Please review! Next chapter is completely new!


	6. Shadow Kissed

**A/N:  
Hey!! Thank you guys so much for reviewing and doing my poll! If you haven't already checked it out, please do - it's important!! As usual, Fragile Human - you rock :D! **

**This chapter is my favorite. The reason why Bella has an aura and the identity of the voice in her head is revealed! Enjoy!**

* * *

**~*~Bella~*~ **

"Then I could read _your_ thoughts?"

His smooth, even mouth curved into a faint smirk, his pale, beautiful face betraying nothing of the thoughts I wished to see. I was still not sure if this was truly a dream or not — I still wasn't sure if I was _dead_ or not — but the sudden trepidation I felt coiling in my stomach made my fight or flight instinct kick in. "No, you couldn't," Demetri smirked. "You do not have the ability to dream-walk. I do, however, have the power to keep you here, forever asleep."

_He would keep me here. Inside his head._

My eyes widened, my heart suddenly thundering in my ears.

_Flight_.

I had to get out. Panic, strong and sure, welled up in my chest and my breathing became harsh as I struggled to think of a way out, to escape.

But as I watched, Demetri's face began to jump, like the reception from a broken television aerial. His body became grainy and I squinted, my hands gripping the arms of the sofa in fright.

I blinked in surprise, stumbling slightly when I realized that I was standing, my hands grasping air. I was standing on the bridge again, my hair matted with snow and I whirled around, searching for Demetri, but I couldn't find him.

It didn't feel like I was dreaming. I still felt trapped, unable to wake up, but still very much _awake_ wherever I was.

Had he trapped me here, like he'd said he would?

"No, he hasn't," a voice spoke, and I jumped, whirling around once more. With a soft gasp, I realized that there was someone else on the bridge, so shrouded in shadows that my eyes had overlooked them the first time.

They stepped forward, almost gliding with fluid grace, and the moonlight reflected off the figure of a woman, her black dress flowing like water down her body. I blinked, squinting in the darkness.

My eyes widened in surprise as I took in her features. She was _me_, but not me. She was extremely pale, deathly so, and her dark brown eyes were flecked with red sparks, like the marks that had appeared on Heidi's skin when my aura had lashed out at her. There was something inhuman about her, yet I still _recognized_ her, like I knew her inextricably well. Her dress shifted in the gentle breeze and I realized that it wasn't a dress at all, but a cloud of dark, swirling smoke that enveloped her body like a liquid skin.

"You're _her_," I whispered.

She laughed and it was like listening to myself on video camera. "I'm _you_."

"I don't understand," I said awkwardly.

She moved closer, gliding with a fluid grace that I certainly didn't possess, until she was standing in front of me, eye to eye. She touched her pale fingers to my temple but I didn't feel the inclination to flinch when her cold skin touched mine. The familiarity I felt was alien, but I trusted her completely for some irrational reason.

"I am… the _darkness_ inside of you," she explained carefully, a small pucker between her brows. "A physical manifestation of your memories." She smiled softly. "But I have a purpose."

She was still speaking gibberish, but I suspected that she knew how confused I felt already and I didn't bother interrupting her.

"Your aura is a defense mechanism," she explained. "A protective blanket, so to speak. It absorbs the darker emotions you feel — resentment, pain, anger. Haven't you ever wondered why you could never truly _hate_ Rosalie for what she has done to you?"

I frowned, but I had never really thought about it that way. I had always figured that I could forgive Rosalie anything because she was my sister.

"But _Edward…"_ She said the name dreamily, her eyes swirling inhumanly as they drifted out of focus. For a second, the water below the bridge rippled and images appeared on the surface. Memories.

Edward, leaning against the doorframe of his room, his dark green eyes watching me with that penetrating gaze of his, his arms folded over his chest loosely. But there was a new edge to the memory, something that hadn't been there before. A tinge of resentment, like she didn't really want me to see this memory.

And I realized another thing in that instant. She was _jealous_ of me.

"But you _are_ me!" I blurted out.

"It's his gift," she answered, snapping out of her daze. "You wondered before, if you were mildly addicted to him now that you've kissed, and the answer is, in a way, _yes_. Your aura made you immune to his gift, but it couldn't absorb all of his power. That's why _I_ am here. I took it for you."

"So, _you're_ addicted to him… and not me?" I said slowly.

"Uh… yeah." She nodded. "That's why I was… jealous."

"I am thoroughly confused," I admitted.

"The scarlet and green in your aura — they're _me. _You can't control them, but it is in my nature to use them to _protect_ whatever pieces of Edward we have. Otherwise, Demetri would have known about him by now."

"But Heidi —"

"I _protect_ Edward. It's irrational, but it's instinctive for me. If someone angers him, hurts him — I'm going to lash out. It's his own fault, really. It's what his power does. It doesn't just make you depend on his love, his touch. You _want_ to die for him."

"But _I_ don't," I pointed out.

"I know." She smirked at me. "I _saved_ you from that fate. You won't die because you aren't physically addicted to him, and you won't die _for_ him because I'm not strong enough to take over from you." She grinned happily. "_You're_ the boss."

"But you spoke through me, before. When Heidi accused Edward of telling — us…"

"Oh, that part's easy." She smiled knowingly. "You wanted to protect him too."

"What?" I frowned.

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes. "You wanted him before he ever touched us. You're not _addicted_ to him, but you're not immune to _your_ feelings."

"I don't love Edward," I said confusedly.

"No, _I_ do. I _adore_ him, as is the nature of his gift, but you… you're starting from the beginning. You know, like in those movies Rosalie made us watch growing up. Where there is initial attraction and it kind of builds from there or just falls apart? You know, _normal_?"

"Then…"

"You're attracted to Edward despite his gift," she finished for me.

"But why… does _any_ of this exist?" I demanded.

"You mean, the book?"

I nodded.

"I don't know. I only know _us_. You're Shadow Kissed. You have an aura to protect you from going insane because of the truck-full of dark emotions you're constantly going through. You have _me_ because of Edward. But you're still human. _We're_ human. We're just used to dealing with things that other people haven't."

"The memories that Demetri accessed — you gave them to him, didn't you?" I said, thinking back to when Demetri had been inside my head.

"Yes." She inclined her head.

"But I don't even remember the… swing." My face suddenly drained of color. "It's not just my emotions that the aura is absorbing, is it? That's why I can't remember a lot of my childhood…"

"Things were bad back then. You were only six-years-old, and you were being treated like a pet that nobody really wanted. As scarred as you were, you didn't really _need_ your aura until —"

I gasped, my eyes focused on the river below the bridge. More images were swirling in the dark depths, memories that I couldn't recall.

"I took Rosalie's bike without asking," I murmured to myself.

"And Charlie never let you forget it," she added. It was like reliving the memory all over again — the little eight-year-old me screamed apologies at Charlie, but he still dunked her head into the bath, holding her head under the water until her vision swam dizzily and she almost passed out from lack of oxygen.

"He used to shout at me. How my birth had been difficult and that Mom couldn't have anymore kids. That I should have been a son," I mumbled bleakly. It felt like my chest was being ripped open with a knife and my heart was being hacked to pieces.

"But you're so close to escaping," she reminded me quietly, her voice sympathetic. "If you had allowed the terror of growing up with Charlie doing things like this to you to swallow you whole, you never would have possessed the strength needed to get away from them now."

"I want the memories back," I said stonily.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"I _need_ to hate them!" I blurted out. "I need to know why I have to escape! Their cruelty… this is just the tip of the ice-berg isn't it?!"

"Yes. But the memories — they'll just drive you insane." She moved forward, her cold hand gripping mine gently. "Listen to me, Bella." I looked at her, utterly confused and frustrated. "We need Demetri. I know that your first instinct is to run from him, but I _will_ keep Edward safe for us. Your aura… it can't take everything. Somewhere within the next while, it's going to be too much. I'm afraid that I'll lose control of the scarlet tendrils and they'll turn on us. They'll _kill_ us. But Demetri can stop them. Demetri can absorb the bad memories and the pain and the hate."

"Are you sure?" I whispered.

She nodded her head. "I'm positive. I'll keep the memories of Edward from him, and I will keep you out of _his_ head. He is strong —" She smirked. "— but we are stronger. You should… probably wake up now, by the way. It's morning."

"Wait!" I said, tightening my fingers around hers before she worked whatever magic she had on my subconscious and woke me up from this seriously freaky dream. She turned to face me, her brow cocked quizzically. "Just so we're clear… I'm refusing to believe that I may be slightly unhinged. So I'm calling you Izzie. The _other_ girl inside my head," I told her.

"Right, boss." She winked at me, grinning playfully, and my eyes suddenly felt heavy, like someone was hanging weight from my eyelashes. I gave in to the urge to close my eyes and darkness consumed me.

**~*~Edward~*~**

I held completely and utterly still, my eyes firmly shut as I tried to absorb the pulse of sound. My head was pounding, like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my skull, but I knew that if I didn't _try_ to let it all in, it was only going to get worse.

When I really tried, the sound became a tapestry. With immense concentration, I could separate the material into single strands of sound, familiarizing my brain with colors and music until the separation became easier and I could hear what I needed without difficulty.

The problem was concentrating.

Separating my thoughts from my senses was the worst part. When I had almost delved completely into a strand of noise, dipping into a conversation or the movement of footsteps, a thought would arrive, unbidden, and my concentration would slip and the entire tapestry of noise would explode inside my eardrums once more.

It didn't help that most of my thoughts were of _her_. I hadn't slept in days and I was beginning to feel the exhaustion creeping up on me, but I was terrified of closing my eyes and having Demetri invading my thoughts, which I knew he would do the first chance he had. The only person's head he stayed out of was Heidi's, because he trusted her implicitly. Up until now, Heidi would have never even considered deceiving him. She _adored_ him.

And what if he invaded _Bella's_ thoughts? He must not have already tried — otherwise he would have killed me by now. I had almost addicted her and then I'd put a death sentence over her head. Because I _would_ have to kill her at some point.

Demetri couldn't have both of us. And I couldn't let him have _her_.

I couldn't explain the possessive, acute need to have her. It was more than just violent, tumultuous lust. I'd wanted women before — hell, I'd _had_ women before — but this was more of a need, a compulsion to completely possess another person. The thought of another man, even Demetri, with his hands on her was enough to almost shatter my carefully assembled control. Before, I had been devoted to my prince, but I would not hesitate to kill him if he took her from me.

But I couldn't even _warn_ him because my life would be forfeit. I was under no misapprehensions that Demetri _wouldn't_ kill me if he found out. No gift was worth disobedience and though Demetri was a patient leader, I had crossed a major line.

The worst part was, I didn't even _care_. The drugging taste of her blood, the burn of desire in her fathomless brown eyes and the warmth of her skin — it was like she had turned the effects of my own gift on _me_.

"Penny for your thoughts?" My eyes flickered open, clashing with the dark, black depths of Heidi's hungry gaze. As Demetri's beautiful bait, she was dressed in tight, revealing clothing — an artfully cut deep purple tank top, a black leather skirt and fishnet tights — and though she looked exceedingly beautiful, I didn't feel the same rush of smug desire when I thought about how I could have her when my transformation was complete.

"They're suicidal," I muttered. Heidi offered me a faint, troubled smile. I had been expecting a lecture on how precarious my situation was, but it didn't come. I wondered if she sensed the same inevitability that I did when it came to Bella.

"You need to sleep sometime," she said quietly.

"And if he tries to get inside my head?" I asked curtly. "He'll kill me in my sleep — you know he will, Heidi."

"I know." Heidi sighed, shaking her head slightly. "This is… messy."

I stopped walking, clutching my head once more. My head was pounding painfully but I managed to suppress most of the noise that buzzed annoyingly in my brain. "This isn't something we can just — _clean up_," I spat. "I'm not just going to stand aside!"

"You _have_ to!" Heidi exclaimed, reacting to my tone. Her eyes flashed with fire as she sprang to the defense of her lover. "The alternative is that he kills you!"

"Not if I kill him first," I hissed.

"Stop it." Heidi grabbed my arm, halting my footsteps. Her hand was painfully tight around my wrist. "He is your _prince_," she hissed under her breath.

"For how long?" I demanded dryly. "We both know that if the Volturi have the Quileutes on their side, the chances of Demetri surviving this fight are low."

"Don't say that," Heidi said angrily. "Demetri has been good to you, Edward. He has been good to a lot of us. We _have_ to protect him, to remain loyal to him, or we'll all fall apart."

I sighed, pulling my arm from her grasp. I was silent for a long moment, staring down the deserted street as I tried to calm my thoughts. I could hear the television from a nearby house; the people inside were watching some monotonous game show. I could hear the incessant hum of electricity filtering into the machine and nearby appliances. The fact that I could hear them seemed to increase the volume of louder, closer things and I winced in pain when Heidi exhaled.

"You're right," I muttered.

"Let's just… hunt tonight. We can talk about this tomorrow night when I'm not as irritable and we have fed," Heidi said, with a small grin.

I inclined my head, glancing around before darting into a nearby alleyway. Heidi followed and we both broke into a run, our figures blurring out of sight.

Running was exhilarating now. I could feel the cold sting of the wind I created with my speed walloping me in the face, but my skin was harder, able to take the harsh conditions. My vision became hazy — I was still unused to the increased eyesight and I found it difficult to navigate my way carefully through the streets. Fast as I was, I was not yet as fast as Heidi. I was close, though. It helped that she didn't need oxygen. I didn't need as much of it as I had when human, but I couldn't hold my breath indefinitely. My muscles took longer to become fatigued but they would eventually begin to burn from exertion.

When we arrived at the rundown, derelict building on the outskirts of Seattle, the only sign of life was the quiet thrumming of wings. We climbed through a badly boarded up window, stepping into the wide open space. The building was completely empty. There were no walls on the inside, just six pillars holding the ceiling up above our heads. It felt like an underground parking lot.

A bat swooped toward the ground, lengthening and expanding in one smooth, vibrating movement until Demetri materialized in front of us, his wings disappearing in a cloud of smoke that clung to his skin: his aura.

We stood, completely silent, as we waited.

The silence was like an ice-pack on my burning head. It no longer throbbed and I found it easier to concentrate on the few sounds that _did_ exist. Rats scurried away, wary of the vampire smell that hung in the air. They would be back later, when we had gone. In the distance, I could hear the hum of vehicles on the road and the occasional voice.

The area was pretty isolated.

I could also hear my own heartbeat. It seemed lighter, faster than a human's, and my vision seemed to pulse with it, heightening the dark colors and shapes of dust and concrete.

Figures began to materialize, almost as though they had just appeared, whirling out from behind pillars and falling quietly from the ceiling. This went on for several minutes until everyone stood in a perfect, closed circle around Demetri.

There were about six vampires missing that belonged to Demetri's coven, but they were on their way. Heidi had slipped away when the figures began appearing, hurrying off to meet the last few vampires.

"Tonight is important," Demetri announced into the silence. His eyes alighted on me, their hungry, black depths shimmering with intensity. "Edward will have his first victim."

Several faces turned in my direction, their expressions excited.

"Rules," Demetri continued. "There is to be no bloodshed before midnight. I am not to be disturbed at any moment of the process, if you all want to be fed."

When he finished, everyone bowed their head in respect and acknowledgement of his rules. Demetri lifted his hand, palm up, and curled his two fingers inward twice, beckoning me forward.

The others scattered, moving like a wave through the room as they lounged, watching speculatively as I approached Demetri in the center of the room.

"You will come with me," Demetri instructed. "I don't think that you will be able to take this the first time. You will come out when it is time to feed."

He whirled, his blue-black aura billowing around him like a cloak, and I followed him through the long room and out onto the fire escape. We moved swiftly up onto the roof of the building.

Demetri stood in the center, his arms outstretched, his pale lavender lids shut over his eyes. His aura swirled like a soft, flickering black flame over his skin. He held perfectly still, absorbing the emotions in the air.

Below me, I heard Heidi return with the other vampires. My head began to throb painfully once more as several dozen rapid heartbeats assaulted my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping my head in a blaze of agony as a dam burst… and the screams began.

**~*~*~**

It was a long time before I could concentrate on opening my eyes. At least an hour had gone by and though the screams were still as strong and as potent as before, my tolerance levels were increasing.

Instead, I found myself watching Demetri. He was standing in the same position as he had been before I shut my eyes, but there was one huge difference. His aura had expanded to the size of a large van, a thick, shuddering mass of electric black-blue smoke. The energy pulsing from the thick, rope-like tendrils caused goose-bumps to erupt on my skin.

I knew what he was doing. He was absorbing the pain, the fear and the lust emanating from the mortals below. The lust was the most disconcerting part. How anybody could feel anything close while others were being tortured around them was beyond me, but then I remembered Heidi's appearance and I knew that anything was possible.

Demetri's aura grew impossibly larger, expanding far enough to encompass the length of the building, until finally, he opened his eyes. His gaze focused on me, his concentration unwavering, and the pulse of energy seemed to become stronger. They pulsed _through_ me, though I knew that I didn't feel it half as strongly as the vampires below me did. My allegiance to Demetri's coven was strong enough for me to receive nourishment like this. When I became a full shadow vampire and my aura became a black-blue color — a mark of my position in Demetri's coven — I would be able to feed this way, through Demetri.

Demetri's aura began to shrink rapidly, returning to its usual dark-blue flame-like flicker of smoke and when the process was complete, the screaming was abruptly cut off below us.

"Come," Demetri instructed.

I followed him back down the fire escape and into the building, my nose wrinkling with the smell of stale tears and desperation. I caught a glimpse of the carnage — unconscious, half-naked bodies strewn over the floor haphazardly — before the circle of vampires closed around Demetri and I.

"Heidi, stay with Edward," Demetri instructed. "Find him a victim."

Heidi inclined her head.

"You may feed."

Demetri spun, throwing himself into the air as he shrank, his aura dissolving in a _whoosh_ of webbed wings. He flew onto the roof and the thrum of energy began again as he prepared to absorb the euphoria of the many vampire bites about to be performed.

Heidi led me into a quiet corner, away from the others. There was already an unconscious man slumped against the wall, his face contorted in a grimace.

"Try," Heidi whispered. "I'm not sure about this situation. Maybe this will work."

I glanced around, making sure that nobody was paying attention to us or even able to overhear our conversation. I nodded once, crouching down next to the man. I tilted his head to the size, eyeing his neck uneasily.

Something felt wrong. When I had bitten Bella, the compulsion to do so had been out of control. Resisting had been futile. But now, there was a reluctance. I concentrated on listening to the pulse of blood in his veins, but even _that_ was repulsive.

I glanced at Heidi, a little unsure, but she just jerked her head in encouragement and I sighed, closing my eyes as I leaned down and brushed my mouth over the man's neck.

My teeth sank into a vein and a hot, burning liquid pulsed into my mouth almost immediately. Too hot. Like acid, it burned my mouth and I spluttered, spitting the blood out onto the ground before I could stop myself. I started coughing, grimacing at the repulsive taste of his blood.

Frowning, Heidi swiped her index finger over the wound on the man's mouth, lifting it to her mouth for a taste. Her frown deepened as she licked the blood. "It tastes fine to me."

"It's disgusting," I spat.

"Shit," Heidi cursed under her breath.

I returned the sentiment, my stomach rolling as I thought about drinking any more. I thought about Bella's blood — about the honeyed flavor on my tongue — and a thirst like I'd never known exploded in the back of my suddenly dry throat. I physically burned with hunger, a low, feral snarl erupting from my mouth before I could stop myself.

Heidi grabbed my arms, slamming me back down against the wall before I had a chance to run. She pressed her hand over my mouth frantically as animalistic sounds erupted from deep in my chest.

It was a couple of seconds before I could control my breathing.

"I know you're hungry and sleepy — truly, I do — but that isn't the worst of your problems," Heidi whispered frantically. "I can't keep lying to Demetri."

I sighed, relaxing against the wall. "I know," I said quietly. I had a feeling that my headaches were getting stronger because the burst of strength I'd had after I'd drank from Bella was beginning to wear off. In a few weeks, I would be as weak as a normal human, and soon I would die.

The alternative — to drink from Bella again — was too strong a compulsion to ignore. I felt an overwhelming rush of possessiveness as I thought of marking her properly this time, leaving traces of my teeth that would linger on her skin for days. Rationality had nothing to do with this little fantasy playing out in my head — she was _mine_. Her blood, her breath, her aura — it was all _mine_. It felt right that I could only drink from _her_, like she truly belonged to me and her blood was the link.

I shifted, lifting myself off the ground as I focused on that thought, a new determination ripping through me.

"I need to sleep," I said roughly. "Keep Demetri away?"

"He will probably go to Bella's — you know that," Heidi warned quietly, her eyes shifting upwards. There was a flash of pain in their dark depths but it disappeared as fast as it came, her face impassive.

I stared at her, my jaw taut, until she realized exactly what I meant.

"I hate lying to him," she pleaded.

"Just distract him, Heidi," I urged quietly.

She stared at me for a long time, before she nodded heavily. "Be careful, Edward."

She leaned toward me, kissing my cheek, her lips cold and hard against my skin, before she turned around, hauling the unconscious man onto her lap.

I didn't stick around to watch her feed. I knew that she would protect me once more — but I wasn't sure that I would be able to count on her at the future.

It would be unwise to underestimate her loyalty to Demetri. There were only so many times that I could push her before she caved and told Demetri everything.

I only hoped that for her sake that that time wouldn't be soon — I was not above murdering _her_ either.

**~*~Bella~*~**

When I woke up from my disturbing conversation with the physical manifestation of everything bad that had ever happened to me, it was already noon and I realized with a sharp sense of foreboding that Renée and Rosalie were probably _extremely_ angry with me.

I sat up, brushing the sleep out of my eyes as I glanced around, noting the glass of water on my nightstand. I took it eagerly, swallowing the entire contents, before I climbed out of bed, swaying slightly as a wave of dizziness washed over me.

I slipped on a pair of jeans and a shirt before slinking downstairs, preparing to face the wrath of my mother and sister, but after wandering around for a little bit, I realized that they weren't even in the house. I headed into the kitchen, smiling awkwardly at our housekeeper, Renata.

"Miss Bella," she smiled, looking a bit flustered. She took my arms, pulling me over to the kitchen table where the servants had their meals. Renée would have had a fit if she'd seen me sitting there, but I really couldn't care. "Here — eat. We were worried when Stevenson brought you upstairs. You looked too pale."

"Thank you," I murmured, taking the plate of omelets from her. She poured me a glass of orange juice and threw some bread in the toaster while I started eating, feeling marginally better as I got something in my stomach. "Stevenson had to carry me?" I felt my face flushing with embarrassment.

Renata frowned, her lips pursed, and I recognized the expression as the one she wore when she was thinking something bad about my family, but couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. I felt awkward around her and the others because Renée discouraged any kind of relationship with the "help", but I knew that they looked out for me when they could. They would never know how grateful I truly was to have them around.

"Just upstairs," Renata confirmed. What she didn't say was, "Because your father wouldn't", but I heard it anyway.

"Uh… tell him thank you — please?" I smiled nervously.

Renata rolled her eyes. "It was nothing, Miss Bella, you know that."

"Still," I insisted. I wished that I had a better recollection of what had happened last night. I remembered leaving the bathroom and allowing Eric to find me. He had been angry that I'd disappeared for so long without telling him where I was going, but I had been too exhausted and weak to do anything but lean on him for support. I remembered him leading me back to Tyler and his other friends and how they had leered at me while Eric had boasted about how we were "together", then Charlie coming to get both of us to introduce us to… _Edward_. My skin flushed as I remembered how he had lifted my hand to his lips, his eyes burning intensely into mine as he lingered a moment longer than he should have, looking like he was _inhaling my skin_. He continued to watch me while Rosalie began describing the wedding dress that she was having designed specifically for her. The thought of their upcoming wedding was the icing on the cake. Eric had thrust a champagne flute into my hand but I hadn't drunk any. Carlisle had made a speech, but all I could think about was how Rosalie was going to have Edward, even if he did hate her, and Izzie just made everything ten times worse by expressing her fury through vivid, violent thoughts of pushing Rosalie down the stairs, or bludgeoning her to death.

It had all been too much and everything had gone black.

After that, all I felt was an impression. An impression of warmth and arms and a hum of something indefinable that had crawled under my skin, something that made me feel _safe_ for the first time in my life.

I suddenly felt bereft, the sense of loss burning strong in my chest.

"Where are Re-Mom and Rosalie?" I asked quietly.

Renata scowled. "They went to visit Esme and Carlisle to _apologize_." She spat the word, not bothering to hide her disgust.

"It was really bad, wasn't it?" I muttered in a small voice.

Renata shook her head, glaring a little at me. "Be glad that you are okay, Bella. That's _all_ that should matter."

I nodded my head, but we both knew that in Renée and Rosalie's world, it was far from what mattered.

"Go back upstairs and rest. You are still not well," Renata instructed. "I will bring you some food in a few hours."

I didn't have the heart to protest. I felt a lot stronger, but I was still wobbly on my legs when I stood. I headed upstairs to my room, closing the door behind me and crawling under the covers with my book. I opened the page that I had stopped on, taking a deep breath. I didn't really want to keep reading, but I knew that I would rather read than be blind, especially when this new world that I had been thrust into was so confusing.

_Heidi pressed her thumb to her lips, brushing any traces of blood from her mouth. The body slumped to the ground in front of her, completely drained, and Heidi's eyes gleamed a luminous red as she glanced around the room. Others were still feeding, drinking from the many corpses that littered the ground. Only a few humans were still alive — ones that had been tortured into developing auras. Demetri would change them later, for his army._

_Heidi looked upwards, catching glimpses of Demetri's billowing aura through cracks in the ceiling. She wanted to protect Edward badly — she loved him like a brother — but she wasn't so sure that she could "distract" Demetri anymore. His attention was waning, focused now on the enigmatic girl that had both Demetri and Edward enthralled with her. Hell, she even fascinated _Heidi_ to some degree and Heidi could not bring herself to resent the fragile mortal, though she yearned to badly. The pain that lanced through her chest every time that Demetri spoke her name was unlike any other. Heidi could feel her hold on Demetri slipping and it was more painful than anything she had ever gone through._

_She waited in the shadows while the others finished feeding. Demetri called a halt and the clean-up operation began. Emmett led the potential candidates for Demetri's coven back to the basement through the sewers. Tanya went with him, giddy on blood and nourishment, and Heidi smiled faintly when she realized that she and Demetri would have the basement to themselves._

"_Where is Edward?" Demetri asked as he approached her, having issued his orders for tonight._

"_He has gone home to Cullen Manor," Heidi lied. "He was exhausted. He would have stayed in his room in the basement, but his parents…" She trailed off, waving her hand dismissively. Heidi hoped that Demetri would just presume that Esme and Carlisle had noticed that their son was slipping away from them and that this was their last attempt at pulling him back into their lives._

"_But he has bitten, hasn't he? He has killed?" Demetri insisted._

"_No," Heidi breathed. Her throat constricted, her chest tightening painfully. This was harder for her than she could have imagined. The trust that Demetri placed in her meant more to her than anything else he could ever give her, especially when he believed himself incapable of loving her. "He couldn't — he couldn't stomach killing a human…"_

_Demetri frowned pensively. "It is not always easy, the first time. He did well to stomach the screams tonight. Perhaps I overestimated his tolerance."_

"_You — You don't think that he'd try to break out on his own, do you?" Heidi asked nervously. She had to know that Demetri's faith in Edward was rock solid — that Edward would be safe for another while. She couldn't stomach the idea of them fighting. One of them would definitely die and she wasn't sure that she would be able to handle __either outcome._

_Demetri's frown deepened. "I do not think so. He would not get very far if he tried — he knows that. And he _has_ sworn his allegiance."_

"_They're just words, Dem. His aura is still grey. Your connection with him is flimsy at the most."_

_Heidi waited for the flicker of doubt in his eyes, but mercifully, it didn't come. He didn't acknowledge the essential difference between her aura and Edward's — having sworn an allegiance to Demetri's coven, a fully transformed shadow vampire's aura would take on the form of a black-blue mass of shadows and slender tendrils. Edward's was still murky grey, mostly because he was only a half-breed and the connection only solidified when he became a full shadow vampire — but could there possibly be another reason why it hadn't darkened by now?_

_People's auras always began as their own — a color that reflected the essence of their soul. The colors were often murky and dark already — those strong enough to become a shadow vampire were often less innocent people. They were prepared to kill to be immortal._

_And then there was Bella's… Hers was the most vivid, most beautifully clear color of silver that Heidi had ever seen. There was nothing murky or dirty about hers. Yes, there was a darkness in her, but it had nothing to do with how good she actually was. It reflected her memories, her past. There was something _pure_ about her._

"_Heidi… is there something bothering you?" Demetri asked casually. He reached out and touched her cheek. Her eyes flickered shut at the contact and she didn't answer for a few moments._

_She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "It's nothing, Dem."_

"_Are you sure?" Demetri insisted quietly._

"_Yes."_

_He brushed his thumb over her full bottom lip, his eyes tracing the movement as her cool breath washed over his skin. Heidi could still remember vividly when he had touched her like this before, when her lips had been different; warmer, more yielding. It had been a high price to pay for immortality — to lose the most inviting thing about humanity. The warmth, the _life_._

_Was it her warmth that had appealed to Demetri? _

"_Stay with me tonight," Heidi whispered quietly. Demetri looked as though he might protest but Heidi took his hand, entwining her fingers with his as she kissed his knuckles, silently pleading with him as she held his gaze._

_Demetri gave in._

I put down the book, my heart aching a little for Heidi. Though I longed for Demetri to forget his fascination with me, I knew that I needed him. Izzie had seemed so sure, in my dream last night, that my aura wouldn't be able to take much more and that if Demetri didn't absorb the stronger emotions, it would turn on me.

I felt trapped.

I grabbed my laptop, pressing the "on" button. I waited a few minutes for it to boot up before I turned on the internet, accessing my e-mails. I had been waiting for a reply to my e-mail to Alice Brandon for a couple of days, but I hadn't received any.

I deleted the junk items in my inbox, my heart stalling when I noticed the last e-mail sitting in my inbox. I clicked on it, my breath catching as I read the one, single sentence.

_Bella,  
I'm so sorry.  
— Alice_

The sense of foreboding in that single e-mail was overwhelming. I was still trying to figure out what she could possibly mean when Renata came in with dinner. She told me that Rosalie and Renée were home and that they were planning on ignoring me for embarrassing them. I knew that it had been Renée's idea and that Rosalie would crack first, but the thought that they were ignoring me at all wasn't pleasant.

I fell asleep after dinner and I had a strange, tormenting dream full of possible endings to Alice Brandon's book. I woke up, panting heavily, around two a.m., and as I struggled to stave off the panic that the dream had caused, I realized that I wasn't alone in my room.

There was somebody standing just inside the window, their back to the moon, shrouding their silhouette in a silvery glow. For a second, I thought that it might be Demetri, finally revealing himself to me outside of my dreams, but in the next second, a dark, burning coil unfurled in my stomach and desire pulsed through my body.

Fully awake, I stared at the intruder, my heart in my throat.

"Edward?" I whispered.

"Who else would it be?" he responded coldly. A happiness that wasn't mine flooded my body, but his tone and his rigid stance cut through the blinding haze of my emotions and I righted myself, pushing Izzie's influence from my head. She, surprisingly, was easy to suppress, now that I understood her.

"I don't know," I responded evenly, a little shocked that my voice didn't tremble. "A lot of people seem to think it's okay to climb through my window and stare at me these days."

It was the wrong thing to say. Before I could really comprehend what was happening, Edward had moved swiftly toward the bed and pinned my down, his cool hands like shackles as they gripped my wrists, forcing me down onto the duvet. He leaned over me and in the faint light I could see the rigid line of his jaw and the rage burning in his dark, almost black eyes.

Another pulse of desire shook my body and I trembled beneath him, my eyes locked on his face.

"Do you know what I want to do to other men who look at you, Isabella?" Edward hissed, his voice deceptively composed. Without waiting for an answer, he said, "I want to fucking _mutilate_ them."

His hands tightened around my wrists and a dull, throbbing pain echoed through my arms. I winced, trying to tug my hands free, but his grip was relentless.

"Like Demetri?" I muttered. Resentment flared — I hated feeling powerless — and my body became a mass of contradictions as I physically burned for him, longing swiftly overriding my rational thought processes until I _ached_ for him to touch me, or kiss me, or just do _something_ to alleviate the pressure building in the minute space between us.

"Don't fucking say his name," Edward growled, pressing me deeper into the mattress as he shoved both of my wrists into one hand, using the other to hover his index finger over my lips. "And stop fucking _doing_ that!"

"What?!" I demanded, exasperated.

"Your fucking aura!"

"I — I can't," I admitted quietly. "Edward, please let me go." I searched his eyes desperately, willing him to release my wrists, but something seemed to snap in his control and if anything, his grip tightened so hard, he stopped the blood flow to my hands. I whimpered in pain, but then his lips were on my throat, his teeth dragging along my skin with skilled ease, sharp enough to cause several shivers of want down spine and light enough that he didn't break the skin.

"You misunderstand, Isabella," Edward rasped against my skin. His breath was surprisingly hot and I felt my hips tilt instinctively in response. "I'm _never_ letting you go." His tone was malicious, but it still made my body heat, made me squirm in anticipation. "You're _mine_." His lips were gentle on my throat, his words slow and meaningful. "Mine to addict. Mine to mark. Mine to _drink_."

When his teeth scraped harder against my throat, I realized that one of two things was about to happen: One, he could to kill me. His eyes were so dark that I knew he was hungry enough to slip — and the only reason that he had stopped the last time was because Heidi had been there to pull him off me. Two, he could mark me. Izzie understood the full connotations of this before I did and scarlet tendrils lashed out at Edward, forcing him off me.

He released my wrists, stumbling away from the bed, cursing loudly, as scarlet burns flickered over his skin, pushing him away from me.

Izzie fed me a thought: Demetri, his eyes trained on the crescent-shaped bite mark that adorned my neck while I slept — and I understood why she had lashed out at Edward, shoving him away from me. She was still protecting him.

He glared darkly at me, his eyes wide with intense rage.

I rubbed my wrists gently, watching as a faint red discoloration began to form on my skin in the shape of his fingers. He had _already_ marked me.

_Feed him_, Izzie urged, her tone concerned. _He's been pushed to the limit already, this isn't really him._

I resented her intrusion in my head, but I could see that she was right.

Slowly, I climbed onto my knees, sidling to the edge of the bed. Edward watched me, his eyes like stone as he hovered by the window, completely rigid, and I forced myself to maintain eye contact as I brushed my hair over one shoulder and pulled the collar of my t-shirt over the other shoulder, exposing my neck.

I waited with bated breath, my head tilted slightly to the side in a position of complete trust.

"Can I?" Edward whispered in the semi-darkness.

I held out my hand in response, beckoning him closer. He walked slowly toward the bed, ignoring my outstretched hand as he sat down on the bed beside me, his thigh brushing mine. I stared at him curiously, but he just placed his hands on my waist gently, lifting me as if I weighed nothing and sat me back down, straddling his lap.

A small frown marred his brow as he swept a stray strand of hair back from my exposed neck, his fingers tracing the curve of my neck with gentle pressure. My eyes fluttered shut, my heart starting to pound in my chest.

"Listen to your heart fly," he murmured. "Are you afraid?"

I opened my eyes, holding his for a long moment. The rage had gone from before — now there was just a glittering intensity. Slowly, a peculiar feeling began to wash over me. It was like the impression I'd had after I'd fainted; the hum of something indefinable that had crawled under my skin.

I felt _safe_, offering myself — my blood — to Edward.

"No," I said softly.

Slowly, he leaned forward, his warm lips brushing my throat. He didn't scrape his teeth along my skin. His mouth was gentle, more considerate as he accepted what I was offering him freely, and understood what it cost.

When he _did_ sink his teeth into my neck, my back arched instinctively and a low moan escaped my lips as pure bliss exploded through my body. White light burned behind my eyelids, the sense of weightless euphoria spreading into every hidden corner of my body and my mind, but I forced myself to open my eyes.

His eyes were frenzied, his grip on my hips becoming unbearably tighter the longer he continued to drink from my neck.

I really hoped that Izzie wouldn't have to hurt him again. I was about to start pushing on his shoulders, to ask him to stop, when he pulled away suddenly, gasping. His chest heaved with his uneven breathing and he stared at me incredulously, like he couldn't believe that he had stopped.

I had about two seconds to process the fact that he _had_ stopped, before his mouth descended on my own and something inside me unfurled, like the flick of a whip. Euphoria and desire collided, building into one, pressurized spark inside me that continued to grow as his arms wound around my waist, pressing me tightly against him. His mouth was hot, uncompromising against mine and I held my own eagerly, threading my fingers together in his hair, drinking in the taste of my blood and just _him_.

It should have been gross. I should have been pulling away, my face contorted in disgust, but knowing that it was _my_ blood that I could taste in Edward's mouth was… erotic. A part of me was _in_ him. For all his insistence that I was _his_, he was mine too. He had subconsciously chosen to drink _my_ blood and to refuse to kill me.

He was _mine_. And that little fact, that tiny, inconsequential fact made the helpless feeling that had been building inside me ever since I found the book just… ease.

And because he was mine, for the first time in my life, I was able to feel something to the true extent — something that Izzie and my aura couldn't take away from me.

_Jealousy_.

I _hated_ Rosalie. I didn't just resent her anymore. And I knew, logically, that Edward didn't want her and that she would never truly have him anyway, but it didn't stop me from feeling every ounce of the unfairness and hate that had been building toward her all my life.

Rosalie had _everything_.

But it wasn't _her_ lips that Edward was kissing. It wasn't _her_ body that he was gripping so tightly and it most definitely wasn't _her_ blood that he craved.

Edward pulled away suddenly and as I squeaked in protest, he pressed his forehead against mine, his intense, dark green eyes holding mine. Our breaths were the only sounds in the otherwise silent room and while I battled for control over my overactive pulse, I felt something… else.

Like someone had doused my brain with ice-cold water and it was slowly seeping out my nose and my ears. My eyes flickered shut of their own accord and when they opened, I gasped in shock.

I could _see_ Edward — _really_ see him. Dark swirls of grey smoke gravitated around me, mingling with something silver that seemed to glow with strands of green, the exact shade of Edward's eyes. And though we were still pressed against each other, we were no longer in my room, but sitting against a fallen tree trunk in the middle of a beautiful, vividly detailed meadow. Sun filtered through the gaps in the tall trees and the longish, light green grass swayed gently in the breeze.

I opened my mouth in confusion but then I felt _her_, Izzie, watching us and I… knew.

She was extending her reach into his subconscious.

_Protecting him from Demetri._

It was over in a few seconds. The glimpse of the meadow and our auras weaving together was snuffed out like a candle and we were once again on my bed, panting for breath and staring at each other like something monumental had happened.

I didn't know if he had seen what I had seen. I didn't ask.

Instead, I grazed my fingertips over the shadows under his eyes, noticing for the first time how drawn and haggard he looked. Silently, I took his hands in mine, lacing our fingers together and then I slipped off his lap, pulling him with me toward my bed.

I lay down nervously, pulling him down beside me. He went willingly, his eyes holding mine the entire time. It felt like an entire conversation passed between us as he lay down beside me, his arm brushing against mine.

"Stay," I whispered. "Please."

He nodded slowly, releasing my hand to brush his thumb over my lips before he moved rapidly — too fast for me to really see what he was doing — and drew my comforter up around my body, his arm slipping under the blanket as he entwined our fingers.

I fell asleep holding his hand, his eyes on my face and the taste of my blood on my lips.

Honestly, I never slept better.

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**A/N:  
Please review! You can check out the playlist for this story on my profile! xxxxxxx**


	7. Loyalty

**A/N:  
There were so many versions of this chapter but they all seemed wrong, which is why there was such a long delay with the updates, but I'm back and really sorry and really grateful that you reviewed and read and waited patiently for this chapte! I love you guys more than you could ever know :D  
And oh, did i mention how much i love my kickass beta Fragile Human? Yea? Oh well, I guess you can hear it a few more times... :D**

* * *

**Fatal Addiction  
**_**by Alice Brandon**_**  
****Chapter Six**

_1288 B.C._

It wasn't common knowledge that Selena, the wife of the leader of the Volturi, Lucius, was an extremely young vampire. Lucius had coveted her beauty, stealing her away from her family one night and marrying her in a private ceremony in the tomb of Stefan and Vladimir.

After Demetri betrayed his master and left Volterra with his coven, now a strong and revered prince, Selena found the courage to seek him out. Lucius, predictably, was furious that Selena betrayed him. But freed from her husband, Selena knew that she could not allow herself to become bound to yet another man — so when Demetri changed her, she sought the help of Quil and Leah to become a Princess in her own right. She achieved the same power as Demetri and struck out on her own, melting into the darkness in Italy where she formed her own coven.

She never went home. She never knew that shortly after her disappearance, her parents died of heartbreak, leaving behind her younger sister, Makenna.

Makenna searched relentlessly for her sister, never once giving up hope that she was still, in some form, alive. Unfortunately, Makenna's search did not lead her to the right Shadow coven — she, instead, stumbled upon Demetri's coven in France.

Through Demetri's care, Makenna's aura began to manifest and she began to fall head over heels in love with the prince. Makenna was beautiful, like her sister, and she was a distraction for the newly crowned prince, who was only beginning to access his powers and authority.

Makenna's power as a soothsayer began to develop before Demetri ever had the chance to bite her. There were things she knew, things nobody _could_ know, and they scared her more than she liked to admit. Though Demetri was good to her and she trusted him implicitly, she began to resent what he had done to her.

When she discovered that she was pregnant, her fears came to a head. She knew that her death was imminent; no mortal woman was strong enough to carry the offspring of a vampire. She also now knew how to find her sister — she escaped one night, taking with her only one of Demetri's cloaks and a sheet of parchment.

Selena took her in immediately. Makenna spent the last few months of her life recording the last and most important vision that she had seen under the watchful eyes of Demetri. For it was him who had helped initiate her power in the first place.

She knew only what the prophecy contained, not the consequences that creating such a documentation would cause. Demetri never came to find her and when it came close to the birth of her child, she embraced her death, knowing that the love of her life did not reciprocate her feelings. She survived long enough to name her child _Jasper_ and entrust him into her sister's care.

Selena buried her sister's prophecy within the halls of the Volturi Palace one night, knowing that it would be safe from Demetri and other Shadow vampires if she hid it where no-one would ever think to look. For why would Selena return to the place where she had been a captive for so long? A place she had resented?

In 1249 A.D., there was a fire in the Volturi Palace. The new Volturi Leader, Arsenio, chose to rebuild the palace on new ground and the place where the palace had once stood became barren and unused. No human could build there because of the ancient warding spells that the Quileutes had cast and overtime, with the influence of Christianity, people presumed that the ground was sacred and left it alone.

Every few thousand years, the Quileutes traveled to Italy to renew the warding spells on the Volturi Palace. With the old Palace forgotten, the warding spells around it began to grow weak until one day in 1967, the prophecy was dug up by a rich developer and the contents were given to a local museum. It was there that the Swan family — that is young Charlie Swan and his parents — visited on one of their vacations abroad. Charlie, being a young rogue, chose the nondescript roll of parchment to steal, not ever realizing what it contained as he couldn't read Latin.

To this day, it has remained in his possession, buried under a ton of crap and outdated photo albums in the attic of the Swan family home.

The significance of this prophecy was only just beginning to unfold.

**~*~Bella~*~**

I was ninety-nine point nine percent sure that I was dreaming. For one, I was in a place that I was certain didn't even exist in reality. A brilliant shaft of sunlight broke through the canopy of trees overhead, guiding me forward as I stepped with uncharacteristic grace over forest bracken, my fingers passing over the trunks of trees that I clung to unnecessarily for balance.

The trees suddenly ended and I felt the breath leave my body as my bare feet touched cool, soft grass that glittered brilliantly in the sunlight. The meadow was the most beautiful place that I had ever seen. It had a dreamy, lethargic feel to it — another reason that I believed I was asleep — and I felt an overwhelming _security_ as I slipped further into the perfectly symmetrical circle, the gentle heat warming my pale skin.

I couldn't help it; my lips broke into a wide, radiant smile and my eyes fluttered shut as I soaked up the warmth. I found myself thinking that this was one of those dreams that I never wanted to wake up from. It was more than just warmth and bliss — it was peace.

I wondered briefly if I had died in my sleep, if _this_ was heaven. It wasn't so bad. Even alone, I found myself content to stay here, to never leave.

When my eyes re-opened, I realized that I wasn't alone. Instinctively, I drew back, back toward the trees, but I might as well have been invisible for all the notice the other figure actually paid me as they walked gracefully into the meadow.

Recognition was slow to dawn. He stood, his pale, lavender lids closed over his eyes, his dark lashes like half-moons on his white cheeks. His hair glittered like fire under the radiant sunlight and he looked more like a god than a half-breed vampire.

"_Edward_," I whispered.

But he didn't hear me, didn't see me. I waited for an explanation from Izzie, waited to hear her voice to stir in my head, but I couldn't feel her. I frowned, confused, and stepped hesitantly into the meadow.

As the sunlight hit my body, delicate, silver smoke began to rise from my skin, weaving and knotting together to form a transparent blanket around my figure. There were no scarlet or green tendrils tinting the silver, no evidence that Izzie existed at all.

I stood completely still, absorbing the heat of the sun and a new, intangible sensation that began to seep through my pores. It felt extremely weird, like having an itch in a body part that you didn't have, in a place that didn't exist. Like I'd had a limb amputated but I could _remember_ how it felt to be connected to the nerves.

Only it wasn't physical, it was emotional.

Like intuition… and power.

_I wish he could see me_, I thought.

Edward's eyes shot open, the vivid green of his irises piercing straight through me. "Bella?" His voice was laden with shock.

I felt the same shock lock my muscles. _Invisible_, I thought. Edward's eyes suddenly widened, his mouth falling open. He started looking around him, his head swerving sporadically in different directions, like he was looking for something. "Bella?" he called out uncertainly.

_I'm here,_ I thought, confused.

Edward's gaze returned to my face, his expression bewildered. "How did you — How are you _here_?" He gestured around him.

"Where _is_ here?" Did this place really exist? Was I truly not dreaming?

"You…" Edward's voice was doubtful. "Bella, this is my subconscious."

An image of the snow and the bridge from my dream with Demetri flickered briefly through my mind and I realized what Edward was talking about. When Demetri had dragged me into his head, I had found myself in the room with all the sofas — a corner of his subconscious — and when Demetri had been walking in my head, Izzie had created the bridge…

_They're like lobbies_, I realized. _I bet if I searched around here in the woods long enough, I would find Edward's memories, thoughts…_

_Thoughts, _I considered.

_What is she doing in my head? Only Demetri can —_

I gasped, losing the sound of the slightly deeper version of Edward's voice. His lips hadn't moved, his expression hadn't changed. _Did I just hear Edward's thoughts?_

_How did she —_

I lost the sound almost immediately, as soon as I realized that I was picking up on it.

"Is this your dream?" I asked aloud, nonplussed.

"No," Edward answered, his brows drawing together in a frown. "I was dreaming of… _something else_, when I was tugged in _here_. I thought — I thought Demetri was in my head."

"Demetri's doing this?" My heart started to race in my chest as I glanced around wildly, panic surging through my veins. All of Izzie's attempts to protect Edward would be wasted if Demetri found us here together.

"I don't know," Edward said. "I can't — I don't think I can feel him here."

"I can't feel him either." And I had known when Demetri was in my head the last time. It wasn't just the fact that I had been drawn from my dream onto the bridge. I had _known_ that there was someone on the bridge with me. "I don't understand why I'm _here_. And I — I think I can hear your thoughts. Sometimes."

A fleeting, panicked expression crossed Edward's face before his jaw locked and his face became smooth, emotionless. "What?"

_She can't hear my thoughts. That's not possible._

"Obviously it's possible if I can bloody-well hear them!" I said, annoyed.

Edward's face became impossibly paler. "Get out of my head!"

As he spoke the words, a crippling spasm of agony surged through my head. I yelped, clutching my skull as I fell on my knees. It felt like someone was squeezing my brain and the pressure was popping blood vessels. An eerie silence roared through my ears and my heart began to pound painfully in my chest.

Black spots appeared in front of my eyes.

"Oh, God," I moaned.

"Bella?" Edward's cold voice melted with concern and as soon as his intentions switched, the pressure vanished on my head and I found myself gasping for air.

"_Shit_," I cursed under my breath. Massaging my temples, I glanced up at Edward. "_You_ did that?"

Edward looked confused. "I just tried to push you out of my head."

"_Ow_," I gasped. "Edward, _I_ don't know how to get me out. Are you trying to kill me?!"

Edward's expression twisted, his eyes flashing with dark, wicked amusement. When he grinned at me, it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. A shiver of apprehension ran through me.

"Maybe I am," he said softly, so softly I almost didn't hear him. "I could wake up right now, and kill you while you're defenseless, trapped in here." He tapped his temple. "You wouldn't be able to stop me."

I remembered what Izzie had said, _"You _want_ to die for him_.", and I knew that she wouldn't protect me while I slept if it was Edward attacking me. "No, I wouldn't." My voice trembled.

I waited for him to disappear, to wake himself up, but he only stepped closer. Instinctively, I matched him, step for step backwards, until my back fell flush against the trunk of a tree. I jumped.

Edward's eyes were alight with hunger now as he approached, and little slivers of his thoughts flitted through my mind; images of my neck, blood pulsing through my jugular vein, his anticipation as his teeth grazed my skin…

I was powerless.

"You fed," I said carefully, wincing as my voice shook. "You're not hungry. I _gave_ you my blood."

Edward continued to advance, a skilled, graceful predator hunting his scared, trembling prey.

But even as I wished that I would wake up, that I could escape him, another, stronger feeling started to take over swiftly.

_Lust_.

The closer that Edward stepped, the stronger the almost tangible electricity began to grow in the air until it crackled like the air during a lightning storm.

When he reached out, his cool, sure fingers curving around my neck, it wasn't fear that burned in my veins but an intense longing that stole my breath and made my knees weak.

Logically, I expected to feel his teeth tear through my skin. I closed my eyes in fearful anticipation of it but my body felt differently; little tremors ripped through me where his hands touched and when his lips ghosted across my mouth, fire erupted out of nowhere.

Suddenly, his lips weren't soft against mine. His mouth was hot and fervent, our teeth clacking together and his fingers knotting in my hair, securing my face to his. His body was pressed against mine, every lean, solid line of him molding to every soft, pliant line of me. We fit like an intricate jigsaw puzzle.

My arms wound around his shoulders, holding him to me, and his thoughts lashed against my brain; his fingers sliding the zip of my dress down my back, his thumbs hooking into the elastic of my panties.

My skin grew hot and feverish and I longed for his fantasies with a strength that overwhelmed me.

And I knew that the strength of my reaction was all me. This was _how_ I felt without his influence whatsoever.

I had never wanted another human being the way I wanted Edward.

I woke up violently, my breathing heavy, my body hot and an overwhelming, physical ache between my thighs.

I gasped for air, brushing my sweaty, sticky hair out of my face. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was alone in my bed. I sat up slowly, trying to slow my heartbeat, and glanced around my room.

The window was open, the curtains swaying gently in the breeze. I crawled out of bed, my eyes scanning the garden below for any sign of Edward before I shut the window firmly, locking it for good measure.

_I can't believe I missed _that_._

I jumped, feeling the uncomfortable, almost violating presence of Izzie in my head once more. I realized that she was flicking through the dream I'd just had, incredulously clinging to the part where I heard Edward's thoughts.

"What do you think?" I asked aloud.

_I have absolutely no idea_.

**~*~Edward~*~**

My eyes flew open, my mouth gulping in the cold, night air greedily before my brain could even question what the hell I was doing outside. I glanced around, taking in the backyard of the Swan residence and reflexively, I lifted my hand to my hair.

I winced as the movement of my wrist caused a sharp pain to dart up my arm. I glanced at the skin, realizing that there was a thick burn mark in the shape of a ring running the entire span of my wrist.

My brain flickered back to the dream. _Bella was dream-walking in my head._

Panic surged through my body. I remembered that mere seconds before I'd woken up, when I'd kissed her, scarlet had erupted in her aura and then I'd found myself… here.

_She pushed herself out_, I realized. _But why?_

My question was answered almost immediately when I picked up on the fluttering of wings in the distance. _Bat_ wings.

_Demetri_.

Anger, jealousy and fear simultaneously ripped through me. It was laughable that in my ambition to become immortal, I had probably signed my death sentence. There was no doubt in my mind that either Demetri would kill me or I would die when Bella did. She was the only person who could provide me nourishment now.

I wanted to stay, to keep him away from her, but I knew that I couldn't, so I started running. I ran so fast that I became a blurred shape, energy burning through my muscles after my recent feed.

I don't know how long I ran for. It was definitely morning when I arrived back home at Cullen Manor, slightly winded and pleasantly tired. I slowed to a walk as I darted up the driveway, frowning when I noticed an unfamiliar car parked behind Esme's.

My first guess was Rosalie, but I knew that she would rather kill herself than give up the flashy, red BMW that she'd gotten for her birthday. A little anxious, I fished out my key and opened the front door.

Esme was out of the kitchen in an instant, her expression reproachful as she approached. "Where've you been?"

"Out," I said vaguely. "Whose car is outside?"

"Mine."

My eyes swerved in the direction of the voice, my brow shooting up. She was exquisitely beautiful, her tall, lean body clad in a white sundress and her pale skin seemed to reflect the light streaming through the windows. It wasn't enough to be noticeable to human eyes but for me, it marked her for who she was. Sure enough, as I focused on her face, I noticed that her eyes were a thick, mustardy yellow, though she had tried to conceal them behind a pair of stylish glasses. As I watched, she flicked her black hair over her shoulder with a smirk.

"Chelsea says she's a friend of yours from school," Esme said, barely hiding her disapproval. "She arrived a little while ago, told me she had to speak to you."

"Oh, yeah," I said quickly. "Of course. I forgot you were coming." I shot Chelsea a pointed look, jerking my head toward Carlisle's study. "We should talk."

Ignoring Esme's pinched expression, I brushed past her and opened the door to Carlisle's study, gesturing for Chelsea to step inside. Carlisle's study was soundproof and I didn't need Esme listening in at the door. I closed the door behind me, locking it, before making my way over to Carlisle's desk.

I sat down on the leather chair, scrutinizing Chelsea's expression as she sat gracefully in the chair opposite, a smirk playing on her lips.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes, playing with a strand of her hair as her eyes raked over my body suggestively. "Well… aren't you direct?"

"As far as I can see, we have nothing to discuss. I've pledged my allegiance to Demetri's coven. I'm not going to ditch him for some… half life."

Chelsea shrugged. "Half life is an interesting way to put it considering we live longer than mortals do. We keep our youth, we possess as much strength as you do. It's not bad — not really."

"It's disgusting," I spat. "_Look_ at your eyes, your skin. It's a disturbing beauty, people are naturally wary of you."

Chelsea waved her hand dismissively. "People would never be wary of _you_, Edward." She leaned forward, her eyes wide with curiosity. "_God_," she breathed. "The things I've heard about you." She reached out, trailing the tip of her finger across my jaw. A dreamy, longing expression melted the curiosity from her face and I slapped her hand away, scowling.

She blinked a few times, dislodging the influence of my power from her mind, before her eyes flashed with amusement. "That was… interesting."

"I don't like people touching me without my permission," I scowled.

Chelsea rolled her eyes. "Overreact, much?"

I refused to respond, waiting for her to get to the point. Chelsea sighed, leaning back in the chair. "Hear me out, please."

"You won't change my mind. My loyalty to Demetri is rock solid."

"There are things you don't know about him," Chelsea admitted. "Things that Heidi doesn't even know."

"Like what?"

"He's more powerful than you think, Edward. It's _so_ easy to underestimate him but don't doubt that he would turn on you as easy as flicking on a light switch."

"I don't underestimate him," I said defensively. "I already know that I'm walking a fine line."

"With the girl?" Chelsea smirked maliciously, her teeth flashing.

My muscles locked defensively, my brain automatically going into attack mode. I couldn't explain it; I only knew that Chelsea was a possible threat to my access to Bella and that every threat must be eliminated.

Chelsea pulled a single strand of hair from her purse, setting it down on the table in front of me. I could smell the faint scent of something wild, something familiar and addictive, and I knew that it was Bella's hair. "I found this under your pillow. It was easy to track her down, then, and to uncover the whole, tragic story."

"Don't fucking touch her."

Chelsea smirked. "I wouldn't _dream_ of it. Actually, I'm completely supportive of whatever the fuck you're trying to do because it'll fuck with Demetri — and if there's one thing I love to do, it's fuck Demetri — sorry, fuck _with_ Demetri." Chelsea giggled at her slip.

"You… and Demetri?" I started to laugh.

"Back when I used to be in the position you're in now, Demetri promised me the world. I'd be his right-hand girl; I'd have anything I ever wanted. I'd be _loved_." Chelsea's voice wasn't resentful, just matter of fact. "And trust me, sex is a powerful weapon in Demetri's hands. He can convince a girl of anything — of eternal love, eternal happiness."

"Then why didn't you stay with him?" I asked.

"Because while I could have the eternal part, I'd never have the happiness," Chelsea explained. "It's all part of his game, convincing you that he loves you until it's too late to turn back. Women have been falling for him for centuries because of his lies. I mean, look at Heidi. I'd rather die than end up like her, suffering from unrequited love for the rest of forever."

"You've just got one major hole in your argument," I pointed out.

"What?" Chelsea frowned.

"_I'm_ not in love with Demetri and I'm pretty sure he's not trying to seduce me," I said dryly.

Chelsea's expression became intense. "No, it's _not_ you he's attempting to seduce. It's the Swan girl."

My stomach twisted and I felt sick as realization dawned. I should have realized that that was exactly what he was doing — just like he'd done with every other girl. There was nothing special about Bella to him. She was just another girl, another potential member of his ever expanding coven.

"So what has me becoming a member of the Volturi got to do with her?" I demanded.

Chelsea shook her head. "I'm _not_ here to convince you to join us. My master has no idea I'm here, though he _does_ covet you, Edward. There will be others sent to recruit you but I'm not one of them. I'm here to warn you that eventually you're going to have to choose between your loyalty to Demetri and your infatuation with your fiancé's sister." Her expression became intense as she leaned forward. "And for the love of God, _please_ don't choose Demetri."

"Because of what he'll do to Bella?"

"Listen to me." She was almost out of her seat, leaning so far over the desk that her eyes were boring into mine. "The girl — _Bella_ — becoming a Shadow Vampire is the least of your worries. The things he does to women… Edward, you don't understand how — how _limitless_ he is. That skill he has — dream-walking? He can keep you in there, lock you into a corner of his brain. You _never wake up_."

"What?" Panic suddenly surged through me.

"Well, not _you_." Chelsea grimaced. "Shadow vampires have a natural resistance to that kind of power. But Bella. I know, because I found a girl in there. When he brought me into his subconscious — into the room that looks like his basement — I found this girl, Makenna. Her body's been dead for over two thousand years now but that part of her soul that he locked in there won't die until he does."

I knew that Demetri had killed countless mortals for nourishment, had done what he could to save his coven. I had accepted every immoral nuance of his past, present and future because I could see _myself_ making those decisions to survive.

But this was worse than murder. The mortals that Demetri killed found peace in the afterlife, at least. But this girl — Makenna — she would never find peace. She was stuck, without any control whatsoever, in a basement in the corner of a vampire's subconscious… never, ever to die.

But then, Chelsea could be lying.

Instinctively, my hand shot out and I stroked her cheek. I could feel the cool slide of power in my fingertips as she slipped under my spell. I drew her head closer, ghosting my lips over hers. Her capitulation was immediate.

"Are you telling me the truth? Don't lie to me, Chelsea, you know I don't like it when people lie to me," I said coaxingly.

"I'm not lying," she assured me, her expression dazed.

I let go of her and she was hesitant in moving back. As soon as she began to return to her usual self, her expression became angry. "What the hell?!" she demanded.

"I had to know," I said quietly. "I can't just let you say shit like this about someone I've trusted for a long time now."

"You think _that's _the part I would be lying about?" Chelsea started to laugh. "Oh, God, Edward, he has a _son_."

"What?" Disbelief colored my tone.

"Yeah," Chelsea smirked. "See, Makenna was a mortal. And mortal women aren't equipped to support hybrid pregnancies. She fled to another Shadow coven, the only other in the world, led by the Princess Selena, and her body died giving birth to the baby there. To this day, Selena is convinced that Demetri never once sought out Makenna after she left him but Makenna's… _soul _was taken as soon as she slipped unconscious because he was there, waiting for her. She was only awake long enough to name her son Jasper."

"Is he still alive?" I asked, barely able to mask the shock in my voice. _Demetri had a son?_

"Yeah, he lives in Italy with Selena. She adopted him as her own centuries ago. His birth caused a lot of controversy, I can tell you, but after centuries of experimentation, it appears Demetri is the only vampire alive able to conceive children."

_His own unique army, _I realized, though I doubted that the idea had occurred to Demetri — yet. It was only a matter of time before Demetri realized the potential.

"Look." Chelsea's eyes flashed wearily. "Demetri's _not_ the guy you think he is. That's all I came to say."

She rose smoothly, smiling briefly as she flitted toward the door. She turned the lock, disappearing through the door before I could stop her. Not that I wanted to.

Actually, I wanted to race over to Bella's house, kidnap her and take her some place that Demetri would never touch her. But what was the guarantee that he _wouldn't_ find her and kill us both in the process?

But I couldn't let him trap her like that. As evil my intentions toward her, I could never be that cruel. But was I strong enough to choose her over Demetri?

"Edward?" Esme's head appeared in the doorway. "Do you want to tell me who the hell that — that _woman_ was?"

"Not particularly," I snapped.

Esme scowled, but I ignored her.

My conversation with Chelsea just emphasized the fact that no matter how much I thought I knew about Demetri, I didn't know enough.

But what about Bella?

Whether Demetri knew it or not, there _was_ something different about her. She'd been in my head, for crying out loud! She was something… more than human. Her aura, the dream-walking — could I even _trust_ her?

The urge to kidnap her faded with the realization that Bella was probably more than equipped to protect herself from Demetri. That didn't mean that I didn't want to protect her myself. She had a power over me akin to the power I executed over other people — a power she seemed immune to, to some extent.

More confused than ever, I stood. I had until sunset to make a decision about what I was going to do.

I only hoped that the decision I made was the right one.

* * *

**Worth the wait? Review and tell me! Also, I posted the soundtrack on my profile page if you haven't already checked it out. L8rs :D**


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